Ugh. First the Pope was blabbering on about the Earth as if it were a living entity, and now the World Council of Churches have issued a statement saying global warming is not just an environmental problem, but it’s also “a sin against God.”
The WCC thinks the developed world has a “moral responsibility” to the developing world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Of course the main reason the developed world emits so much CO2 is precisely because it has, for the most part, recognized the rights of individuals and reaped the rewards therein. The thing that never gets mentioned in all of these “the West produces all of the pollution” stories is that low CO2 emissions are highly correlated with extreme poverty.
The intellectually challenged folks at the WCC haven’t even thought through the broad implications of their own statement. If the burning of fossil fuels is sinful, then doesn’t it logically follow that low gasoline prices are a very bad thing? Maybe. According to a WCC spokeswoman, “I think that would be a matter of discussion.”