Christina Claar

There are several commonalities between the words in Greta Thunberg's appeals, Rachel
Carson's writings, and Pope Francis' encyclical. Although all have occurred decades apart, the continuing
themes of respect for the planet and the shared effects that environmental pollution wreak on all of
society still ring true. As Pope Francis wrote, “we need a conversation which includes everyone, since
the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” (14).
The issue is not only that all humans deserve a habitable planet, but more so that we are all responsible
for making the necessary changes and we will all have to face the consequences of a lack of action. All
three individuals discussed here argue for the same purpose – to preserve the world given to us for the
betterment of the future. “We look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of humanity;
otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms” (9). Pope Francis notes that it is not a simple
process but one with great complexity that requires global participation. Greta Thunberg described the
issue as a widening gap between what we are doing and what actually needs to be done.

I was assigned to study Chapter II of the encyclical titled The Gospel of Creation. In this section
Pope Francis explains the role of humankind in protecting the earth, understanding our relation to all of
God’s creations, and our responsibility as Christians. He takes a firm stance and instructs us all to look
within ourselves and identify how we related to the natural world and what that means for us in the
context of faith. He writes, “it is good for humanity and the world at large when we believers better
recognize the ecological commitments which stem from our convictions” (64). His sentiments from the
preface are echoed here as well when he writes “a sense of deep communion with the rest of nature
cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings” (91).
Much of this chapter concerns this topic of humanity and our responsibility to the earth that has
somehow been mistaken as superiority or entitlement to the planet and its creatures. I think that Greta
Thunberg’s words are on the same track as some of the statements in this chapter, especially when
Pope Francis reminds us that “the earth was here before us and it has been given to us. [We have] the
duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations” (67). Much of Greta’s
advocation is for preserving the earth’s resources for the future. Pope Francis also decries the
exploitation of those resources for profit, stating “when nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and
gain, this has serious consequences for society” (82).

Rachel Carson wrote of the same issues in Silent Spring and addressed the problem of the future
as well. In Chapter 12: The Human Price, she explains the consequences of chemical insecticides on the
human body that may not always be immediately obvious or symptomatic but eventually come to the
surface. In her words, “it is human nature to shrug off what may seem to us a vague threat of future
disaster” (Carson, 1962). Even though it may seem that her message and that of Pope Francis has gone
unheeded, Greta’s activism proves that someone was listening and carrying on the cause. Unfortunately,
many of the problems have not been addressed as of yet, and Greta repeated what Rachel Carson said
years ago – “the general level of awareness is so absurdly low” and these issues will continue to destroy
present and future living conditions. Carson accurately wrote that these are hazards “we ourselves have
introduced into our world as our modern way of life has evolved” (Carson, 1962) and that we as
humanity have to resolve. No one else is going to do it for us.

One quote from Laudato si' that resonated with me was early in Chapter II when Pope Francis
writes “How wonderful is the certainty that each human life is not adrift in the midst of hopeless chaos,
in a world ruled by pure chance or endlessly recurring cycles” (65). That reassurance was short lived as I
read Rachel Carson and she wrote humanity “has written a depressing record of destruction, directed
not only against the earth he inhabits but against the life that shares it with him” (Carson, 1962). While
the reality of the future state of the earth may be grim, at least we are all in it together.