Letter
Letter to Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee from Bishop Wenski on Climate Change, March 13, 2006
Letter to Senate Energy Natural Resources Committee from Bishop Thomas G. Wenski on Climate Change, March 13, 2006
"On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I thank you for the opportunity to offer the bishops’ perspective on the issue of global climate change. I commend your leadership in furthering a debate that has too often been far too polarized and that has used “science” more as a weapon than as a source of wisdom, insight and guidance.
The U.S. Catholic bishops believe God has given us the gift of creation: the air we breathe, the water that sustains life and the fruits of the land that nourish us. While the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has not taken a position on any specific piece of legislation, we are convinced that “At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group pressures. It is about the future of God's creation and the one human family.” (Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good, 2001).
Today we are confronting the challenge of global climate change. Climate change may trigger drought, flooding, famine, disease, and other extreme weather events that lead to massive human and environmental devastation. As stewards of God’s creation we are called to respect and protect our natural resources not only for ourselves today but also for future generations. We recognize our common moral responsibility of stewardship and care for God’s creation. The traditional virtue of prudence would dictate taking preventive and mitigating action, domestically and internationally, even when we do not know everything with certainty."