The Central Role of the Human

Person in Addressing
Environmental Problems
Encyclical- an encyclical letter; specifically: a papal
letter to the bishops of the church as a whole or to those
in one country
Apologist- one who speaks or writes in defense of
someone or something
Gratification- a source of satisfaction or pleasure

Terms
 “Authentic development includes efforts to bring
about an integral improvement in the quality of human
life, and this entails considering the setting in which
people live their lives. These settings influence the
way people think, feel and act. In our rooms, our
homes, our workplaces and neighborhoods, we use our
environment as a way of expressing our identity. We
make every effort to adopt to our environment, but
when it is disorderly, chaotic or saturated with noise
and ugliness, such over stimulation makes it difficult
to find ourselves integrated and happy.”

Pope Francis Laudato Si

Have you ever purchased a
product for the main reason that
is environmental friendly? If not,
Why?
• Much of our despair and resignation
comes from a lack of examination of
how much we can really contribute to
the preservation of our natural
environment, or of conceptual clarity
on the true meaning of progress and
development.
• The inevitability of change, the need
of progress and development- these
are common arguments raised among
developed countries with regard to the
issues on the environmental problems
such as climate change.
Hunger and famine
need to be addressed
first.
For who is the
development and
progress
For who is all the effort
for ensuring a
comfortable life really
for
• The continued acceleration of
changes affecting humanity and
the planet is coupled today with a
more intensified pace of life and
work which might be called
“rapidification”
The goals of this rapid and constant change
are not necessarily geared to the common
good or to integral and sustainable human
development.

Change is something
desirable yet it becomes a
source of anxiety.
Have you ever wonder where
old gadgets are now?
Discrepancies
Old iPhones
Canada as one of the
cleanest places in the world
(Guardians, 2015)
Consumerism
80% of the products
are mostly end up in
trash
“When people become self-centered and self-
enclosed, their greed increases. The emptier a
person’s heart is, the more he or she needs things to
buy, own, and consume. It becomes almost
impossible to accept the limits imposed by reality.
In this horizon, a genuine sense of the common
good also disappears.”

Evil of Consumerism
(Pope Francis)
Disposable diapers

Grocery Shoppers

Car passengers
Fighting for the environment in
Personal level
Social level
Political level
“…avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water
consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can
reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living
beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees,
turning off unnecessary lights or any number of other
practices. All of these reflect a generous and worthy
creativity which brings out the best in human beings.
Reusing something instead of immediately discarding it,
when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love
which expresses our own dignity.”

Pope Francis
You can’t simply say for an excuse
because remember we have human
freedom- the same freedom.

We are never ‘without choice’