Scientists and biologists from around the world have signed an alarming joint statement at the Vatican. They warn that a quarter of all species are in danger of extinction, and that half of them could disappear in this century.
Most endangered species are invisible to the human eye, but are crucial to environmental equilibrium.
PARTHA SARATHI DASGUPTA
Pontifical Academy of Sciences
'We think that there's an infinite pool of resources that Mother Earth has, so we can take as much as we like, and use it for our purposes. And that is the tension between the now and the tomorrow, us and our descendants.â?
MSGR. MARCELO SíNCHEZ SORONDO
Chancellor, Pontifical Academy of Sciences
'The conclusions say that the main people responsible for extinction are those who use energy derived from fossil materials, for example the rich. But indirectly, even the poor do, when they are forced to sell forests, sometimes at absurd prices, in order to survive. Or when using agriculture that dispenses with modern techniques.â?
According to their statement, the solution is change: using clean energy and farming techniques that are less aggressive to the environment. Large cities deserve a separate chapter, because they need to undergo a large, and ambitious, ecological conversion.
Over the last few months, the Vatican has promoted congresses on the right to water, organ and human trafficking, and even astronomy.
The aim is to encourage intellectuals to exchange their ideas, and join forces to promote improvements and positive changes in today's world, taking into consideration the pope's encyclical Laudato si'.
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