Holy See urges protection of ozone layer for mankind
November 16, 2012 - The environment – notably ozone layer protection and related
actions – entails a shared responsibility toward the entire human family, especially
the poor and the future generations. The Holy See’s permanent observer to the United
Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi made this observation on Thursday.
He was speaking at a high-level meeting of States Parties to the Montreal Protocol
on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The Holy See representative admitted
that there has been significant reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that deplete
the atmosphere’s protective layer, but pressed for enhanced protection of creation
as a whole. He said it is vital to take into account the concerns of the poorer and
more vulnerable countries and assist them to meet the challenges they face, as environmental
issues are very closely linked with human rights issues. Archbishop Tomasi cited
the increase of eye cataract and forced migration due to sea level rising as two
consequences of a depleted ozone layer. Protection of creation in all its aspects
is a duty of solidarity toward future generations, he said and urged stronger focus
on information, education, and the formation of a sense of responsibility in children
and adults towards environmentally sound patterns of development and the stewardship
of creation. “The way humanity treats the environment influences the way it treats
itself,” Archbishop Tomasi added.