At a conference in 2012, on the theme of ‘Catastrophe and Conversion’, René Girard asserted in a plenary session that ‘politics can no longer save us’.
The statement was both shocking and comprehensible. Its import came home shortly afterwards, at the time of the climate change conference in Copenhagen, when the world’s leaders, fully aware of the evidence of anthropogenic climate change and of the urgency of the crisis, were unable to agree on the required programme of action.
An ‘apocalyptic’ narrative also allows for an interconnected account, rather than seeing the environmental and political, human and natural crises as separate.
Aaron Wherry writes that while attempting to parry the most polarized voices on climate change and resource development, Trudeau has emerged globally as a symbolic counterpoint to the rising tide of populism. In the person of Donald Trump, that tide keeps making Trudeau's life more difficult.
To the challenges of the moment — climate change and shared prosperity — Justin Trudeau seems to think he can make a useful contribution.
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| Trudeau needs to balance |
Pope Francis urges top oil executives to convert to clean fuel. It saw the participation of senior executives of leading oil and gas companies including ExxonMobil, Eni, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Equinor and Pemex.
In his speech, the Pope told them that climate change was a challenge of "epochal proportions” and said that the world needs to come up with an energy mix that combats pollution, eliminates poverty and promotes social justice.Pope Francis summoned more than 40 oil and energy executives, plus big money managers, to discuss climate change and other sustainability issues at a Conference called “Energy Transition and Care for our Common Home”.
“When you go to the Vatican and see the Pope, it changes the tone of the debate. It makes it much more serious, and much more real.” Lord Browne, former CEO at BP, this weekend.Close to 100 broadcast meteorologists will don blue and red stripes for their on-air segments Thursday as part of an international effort to raise awareness of the reality of human-produced climate change.
Spiralling global temperatures from 1850-2016 (full animation) https://t.co/YETC5HkmTr pic.twitter.com/Ypci717AHq— Ed Hawkins (@ed_hawkins) May 9, 2016
References
(2015, November 12). 'Between Politics and Apocalypse': René Girard's Reading of Global .... Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/%E2%80%98between-politics-and-apocalypse%E2%80%99-ren%C3%A9-girard%E2%80%99s-reading-global-crisis
(2018, June 2). How last week, and the one coming, might shape Justin Trudeau's .... Retrieved June 3, 2018, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-trump-pipeline-trade-1.4688879
(2018, June 9). Pope urges top oil executives to convert to clean fuel - Vatican News. Retrieved June 12, 2018, from https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2018-06/pope-oil-gas-executives-vatican-conference-energy-transition.html
(2018, June 11). 20170926 Conference Sustainable Development Goals SDGs Two .... Retrieved June 14, 2018, from http://www.sust4in.com/20180611-white-on-black--pope-francis-meet-oil-executives.html
(n.d.). Stripes for the Solstice: Meteorologists United on Climate Change by .... Retrieved June 21, 2018, from https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Stripes-Solstice-Meteorologists-United-Climate-Change
