SYMPOSIUM:THE POPE'S ENCYCLICAL and CLIMATE CHANGEPOLICYSHOULD WE CARE WHAT the POPE SAYS about CLIMATE CHANGE?

The brokerage firm, E.F. Hutton, used to have a tagline that went, When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen. On climate change, the Pope has spoken, but will people listen? And should they? The first question is empirical; the second, normative. The papal encyclical, Laudato Si', was released in May 2015 to much acclaim. It is an extraordinarily wideranging document. Although I will focus, in particular, on its discussion of climate change, it is worth noting that the encyclical addresses virtually the entire litany of environmental problems-loss of biodiversity, hazardous chemicals and wastes, marine pollution, replacement of virgin forests with monoculture plantations, and lack of access to clean drinking water, among others- A s well as related social problems such as extreme poverty and urban overcrowding.