Climate Change - The Politics, Faith, and Science of an Obfuscated Truth

I can't resist the urge to write something about my elation at the release of Pope Francis' encyclical exhorting us towards environmental responsibility for our planet, and at my disappointment at those Catholic presidential candidates who would admonish the pope for recognizing and speaking such a crucial truth.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/pope-urges-sweeping-change-save-planet-n377556

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/18/415429852/pope-francis-climate-change-a-principal-challenge-for-humanity

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/19/world/europe/pope-francis-in-sweeping-encyclical-calls-for-swift-action-on-climate-change.html?_r=0

As pointed out by a speaker on the Weather Channel's "Climate 25" series, Republicans once led on environmental issues – conservative and conservation are related words, after all - but have somehow lost their way on this issue. From the evidence I can see they've been hijacked by big industry and its anti-regulation agenda.

http://weather.climate25.com/project/heidi-cullen/

Funny that these politicians can dismiss the pope’s voicing of his concern on climate change as a dabbling into politics, rather than what it truly is, something well within his purview as shepherd of the people. A shepherd’s job, most simply, is to guide his flock to safety and lead it from danger, part of which includes protecting the flock’s pasture, in the pope’s case our planet, our one God given home, from abuse and degradation which would lead to mass suffering of the flock. Should the leader of a religion whose foremost teaching is love for all mankind stand by in silence as he watches those he loves and those who trust him speed headlong towards a cliff?

Those pick and choose Catholic politicians such as Rick Santorum who in their hubris, inanity, or, most likely, pandering to big political contributors like the Koch brothers and big (oil & gas) industry elite deride the pope’s directive on climate change by declaring that the pope should “leave science to the scientists” should heed their own message. Likewise for Jeb Bush when he declares "I don't get my economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope,” and Marco Rubio when he says "humans are not responsible for climate change in the way some of these people out there are trying to make us believe.” The "some of these people" are scientists whose profession it is to collect and analyze and scrutinize the data and conclusions of their colleagues for possible mistakes and misinterpretations. Pope Francis, with something of a science background himself understands this. 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2013/03/12/pope-francis-scientist-2/

http://www.ibtimes.com/pope-francis-master-chemistry-another-example-catholicisms-long-association-science-1131595

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/17/us-pope-environment-idUSKBN0OX1LW20150617

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/politics/popes-views-press-gop-on-climate-change.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/04/rick-santorum-wants-pope-francis-to-leave-science-to-scientists-only-when-its-convenient-for-him/

Anybody who starts a conversation with the phrase “I’m no scientist but..” should, with common sense, have no issue deferring to those who have dedicated their lives to the study of a subject, and had their work scrutinized by their peers. If they made the effort to do so they would find why almost every serious climate scientist and science paper supports the conclusion that climate change is occurring, and that it is largely human caused. Anyone who spends a few hours delving into the science of the issue will find sound, overwhelming and unequivocal data and studies that very clearly show the evidence for human caused global warming, such as this by Stanford researchers:

Source: solar-center.stanford.edu

In fact, it's difficult if not impossible to find anything like true science that casts any doubt at all on human caused climate change. Climate change deniers can perhaps only point to pseudoscience supported by the Heartland Institute, a Koch brothers, oil and other big industry funded organization with a stated goal of denying climate change. 

http://www.desmogblog.com/heartland-institute

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/science/naomi-oreskes-a-lightning-rod-in-a-changing-climate.html?action=click&contentCollection=Science&module=MostEmailed&version=Full&region=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article

http://www.desmogblog.com/2015/06/20/dark-money-funding-climate-change-denial

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/09/secretive-donors-gave-us-climate-denial-groups-125m-over-three-years

It is not only the right, but the responsibility of Pope Francis, charged with the love and care of his flock, mankind, to speak out with the full might of his office when he sees we are headed for danger. I, for one, am much more concerned about trusting the future of this great nation to someone who either can't discern the difference between real science and biased pseudoscience, or worse, someone who willingly supports an agenda to mislead its citizens on something as critical to our future as climate change than I am about the pope making well advised and intelligent directives based on science.