Pope links 'natural ecology' to 'human ecology' in his New Years' address


The “ecology of peace”

8. In his Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II wrote: “Not only has God given the earth to man, who must use it with respect for the original good purpose for which it was given to him, but man too is God's gift to man. He must therefore respect the natural and moral structure with which he has been endowed.” By responding to this charge, entrusted to them by the Creator, men and women can join in bringing about a world of peace. Alongside the ecology of nature, there exists what can be called a “human” ecology, which in turn demands a “social” ecology. All this means that humanity, if it truly desires peace, must be increasingly conscious of the links between natural ecology, or respect for nature, and human ecology. Experience shows that disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa. It becomes more and more evident that there is an inseparable link between peace with creation and peace among men. Both of these presuppose peace with God. The poem-prayer of Saint Francis, known as “the Canticle of Brother Sun”, is a wonderful and ever timely example of this multifaceted ecology of peace.

9. The close connection between these two ecologies can be understood from the increasingly serious problem of energy supplies. In recent years, new nations have entered enthusiastically into industrial production, thereby increasing their energy needs. This has led to an unprecedented race for available resources. Meanwhile, some parts of the planet remain backward and development is effectively blocked, partly because of the rise in energy prices. What will happen to those peoples? What kind of development or non-development will be imposed on them by the scarcity of energy supplies? What injustices and conflicts will be provoked by the race for energy sources? And what will be the reaction of those who are excluded from this race? These are questions that show how respect for nature is closely linked to the need to establish, between individuals and between nations, relationships that are attentive to the dignity of the person and capable of satisfying his or her authentic needs. The destruction of the environment, its improper or selfish use, and the violent hoarding of the earth's resources cause grievances, conflicts and wars, precisely because they are the consequences of an inhumane concept of development. Indeed, if development were limited to the technical-economic aspect, obscuring the moral-religious dimension, it would not be an integral human development, but a one-sided distortion which would end up by unleashing man's destructive capacities.

Καταναλώνουν το δικό τους ρεύμα που παράγουν από τον ήλιο και τον άνεμο


TA NEA, 30/12/2006

Ο ταχυδρόμος έχει έξι χρόνια να παραδώσει τον λογαριασμό του ηλεκτρικού στην κ. Γεωργία Νικηφοράκη και τον σύζυγο της κ. Βαγγέλη Λαζάρη, οι οποίοι κατοικούν στις Στέρνες Ακρωτηρίου στα Χανιά Κρήτης. Η ενέργεια του ηλίου και του ανέμου είναι αρκετή για να έχουν φως, να βλέπουν τηλεόραση, να ακούν μουσική, να μαγειρεύουν. Αυτός είναι και ο λόγος που γύρισαν μια και καλή την πλάτη στη ΔΕΗ! Οι ιδιοκτήτες πάντως επισημαίνουν πως το ηλιακό σπίτι τους δεν έχει να ζηλέψει σε τίποτα τα συμβατικά. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Εορταστική σπατάλη ρεύματος!


ΤΑ ΝΕΑ, 27/12/2006

Οι στολισμοί, αλλά και τα ρεβεγιόν ανεβάζουν την κατανάλωση. Ρεκόρ σπατάλης ενέργειας - και μάλιστα πανευρωπαϊκό - κάνουν οι Έλληνες την περίοδο των εορτών. Τα ρεβεγιόν, τα πάρτι, οι στολισμοί εκτινάσσουν στα ύψη την κατανάλωση ρεύματος και πετρελαίου σε σχέση με τον υπόλοιπο χρόνο. Τα στοιχεία προέρχονται από το ελληνικό γραφείο της Greenpeace. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Από υλικά συσκευασίας το 30% των σκουπιδιών


Ελευθεροτυπία, 27/12/2006, της Χαράς Τζαναβάρα

Χριστούγεννα σημαίνουν κυρίως δώρα. Για μικρούς και μεγάλους. Για μας ή για αγαπημένα πρόσωπα. Τα αγοράζουμε δίνοντας ιδιαίτερη βάση στο περιτύλιγμα. Εκείνο όμως που ξεχνάμε μέσα στη χαρά των δώρων είναι το «μετά»: τι γίνονται τα περίτεχνα κουτιά, τα χρωματιστά χαρτιά και τα άλλα στολίδια; Συνήθως καταλήγουν στα σκουπίδια. Διαβάστε περισσότερα...

Πάει ο παλιός ο χρόνος...και μαζί του ένα είδος!

CNN News, 13 Dec 2006

BEIJING, China (AP) -- An expedition searching for a rare Yangtze River dolphin ended Wednesday without a single sighting and with the team's leader saying one of the world's oldest species was effectively extinct.
The white dolphin known as baiji, shy and nearly blind, dates back some 20 million years. Its disappearance is believed to be the first time in a half-century, since hunting killed off the Caribbean monk seal, that a large aquatic mammal has been driven to extinction. Read more...

Kyoto Gets a Slap in the Face from Canada

Planet2025 NewsNetwork, 17 Dec 2006

Much to the surprise of most Canadians and the world community, Canada is reneging on its international commitments under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which could weaken an international agreement to fight climate change after Kyoto expires in 2012. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, elected early this year, and the new environment minister, Rona Ambrose, have dismissed Canada's Kyoto commitments for reducing greenhouse gases as impossible to achieve. Read more...

Austria finds backing for GMO bans


Euractiv.com, 19 Dec 2006


Environment ministers swept away a proposal by the Commission to force Austria to lift its ban on two GMO-maize varieties - environmental groups have applauded the decision. Read more...

Offshore wind farms get go-ahead


BBC News, 18 Dec 2006

The green light has been given for two offshore wind farms in the Thames Estuary, one of which will be the world's biggest when it is completed. Read more...

Ebola 'kills over 5,000 gorillas'


BBC News, 8 December 2006


More than 5,000 gorillas may have died in recent outbreaks of the Ebola virus in central Africa, a study says. Scientists warn that, coupled with the commercial hunting of gorillas, it may be enough to push them to extinction. Read more...

REACH compromise under fire


Euractive, 5 December 2006

Environmental groups were dismayed after a deal on the EU's chemicals safety law (REACH, Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals) saw defenders of business interests obtaining success on most of their core issues. Read more...

Europe's warmest autumn in 500 years

Planet 2025, 12 December 2006

Do you still have roses in bloom in your English garden? Then you might not be surprised to hear that Europe is experiencing the warmest autumn since Columbus first sailed to America.Preliminary analysis shows that continental mean temperatures in September and October were 11°C — that's 1.8 °C higher than the long-term average for these months. November was 2.5 °C higher than the average. The results show that 2006 has beaten the 'hottest' autumns of 1772, 1938 and 2000 by about a degree. Read more...