This is an ordered version of my live microblogging (Twitter – @mmorabito67) of “One Christian Perspective On Climate Change”, the GWPF Annual Lecture by the RC Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell (Oct 26, 2011) (not exactly a staunch traditionalist, apart perhaps from his views on the family), presented on the evening by Benny Peiser with:
[…] In this week’s issue of Church Times, the weekly journal of the Church of England, Peter Forster, the Bishop of Chester and one of our Trustees and who, I am happy to say, is with us tonight in the audience, wrote:
“The Churches have tended to follow climate alarmism with uncritical enthusiasm, but it is now time to take stock. The moral issues surrounding climate policy, as well as the underlying scientific and economic issues, are much more complex than is usually acknowledged. It is time for the Churches to recognise this, and to lead a debate which helps our society to a more sensible set of policies.”
I believe that nobody has done more to raise these awkward questions within the Catholic Church than Cardinal Pell. It is an irony of our bewildering times that it is a courageous churchman who dares to question one of our society’s most entrenched dogmas – but that is exactly what he will do tonight.
- Reached Cardinal Pell’s lecture some 30 minutes late Will microblog whatever is left
- Cardinal Pell talking of English wines and warm Greenland
- Room quite full, more than 100 people for sure Yes, there’s a podium and a microphone
- Now mentioning the globality of the medieval warm period
- Maya civilization collapsed during MWP
- Conclusions: Western world unlikely to develop further of money is spent to fight global warming
- “Extreme weather events are to be expected but are always unexpected”
- “Money should be spent to prevent vulnerability”
- Too often people approach climate change with assumptions not questions
- Need a cost benefit analysis economically and morally
- Any benefit apart from more money to governments via taxes and to whoever works in the AGW sector?
- Long applause 30 minutes of questions
- Q: AGW nonsense is a cult or a biz opportunity or political? Q: Roman Catholic concerns on climate change? Even Pope
- A: no judgment on people’s motives A substitute of religion for some $10B/y for years Not much global government
- A: 9 years Chairman of Caritas Australia so has seen the world and third world
- Speaking as individual – RC is a Church with no competence on scientific claims
- Cardinal Pell sees his speaking as a way of telling the truth People may disagree but he’d like to see good policies
- Q: oil running out, new extractions make environment worse Q: Political divergence between Australian parties?
- A: eventually we will run out of fossil fuels Past predictions spectacularly wrong Technology will provide alternatives
- No apologies for the mistreatment of anybody anywhere Some commercial developments are very rough Try minimize costs
- Says he has not much opinion on either Australian political parties
- Q: why the IPCC never cares about the advantages to the world of increased CO2? Q: theology of husbanding resources
- A: no mention of advantages? (Talks of Bob Carter’s book) People reluctant to admit anything contrary to previous belief
- A: husbanding the world for the future yes
- My Q: do Cardinals talk about AGW when they meet up? Q: responsible for future? Pope might disagree with Pell
- A: never discussed AGW among Cardinals Opinions evenly divided in a conference
- A: pontifical academy of science also contains differing opinions Husbandry important but what are the facts?
- Follow Church for morality and religion not obligated to follow the PAS on science
- Q: Attenborough mention of changes due to climate change Will make claim that humans are partially responsible
- Q: (more theology)
- A: Attenborough’s changes? Things have always changed We can pick and choose anything for any argument
- A: always look at evidence Disagreement among scientists
- many geologists doubt catastrophesA: too many unknown unknowns No way of computing the future of climate
- Q: did AGW replace Marxism? What right to keep poor nations poor by preventing use of fossil fuels?
- Q: AGW is taught as a fact Is that moral?
- A: people need a religion so there’s something in people finding comfort in AGW
- China very polluted and would need free press We can’t impose impossible fuel standards
- There’s been global warming during last 100 years but we don’t know if it’s dangerous and how much humans contribute
- Some Christians feel uneasy about their faith so concentrate on feminism or social psychology instead
- Q: (inaudible) Q: important points made Opinion on Carbon tax? How can we help poor by taxing them?
- A: balance and trust are based on truth Worried about unscientific words uttered by scientists
- A: no problem when disagreeing with other people in the Church
- end of session with Lord Lawson
2 replies on “Live Microblogging Of Cardinal George Pell’s “One Christian Perspective On Climate Change” For The GWPF”
Environmentalism is a top down religion.
The British monarchy’s religion has changed from catholic, to protestant, and now to green. This is an interesting issue, which isn’t debated.
Many of the big land owners, like the C of E, and the Queen, and Prince Charles have all embraced environmentalism, and the alarmist message of the WWF and Friends of the Earth.
I think it would have been interesting to mention this rebranding of the British monarchy and its key institution the Church of England as anti-capitalist environmentalist. We need to ask why doesn’t the monarchy like capitalism and consumerism? I don’t think it is because of fears about the planet and AGW.
Is it perhaps, because capitalism has pushed the Queen from 3rd richest in the land, to 257th richest?
Or perhaps they have taken this line because the monarchy is no longer the iconic middle class family, and the country is more secular, so turning to the new Green religion has come in very handy.
I wonder if the catholics will make this an issue in the coming years? I mean, what are you if you are a Green Christian?
Sounds reasonably balanced to me (fwiw). He’d be labelled a denier by the ‘warmists’. Interesting that he chooses this as his topic.