Mark Reilly
Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ has produced an action plan with seven goals to guide each of us on the path to a holistic ecology, one of which is “adopting sustainable lifestyles.”
This goal challenges each of us every day to use the Earth’s limited resources and energy thoughtfully. It is a wake-up call to realize that by participating in our current socio-economic system, we are exceeding the limits of the planet. As Pope Francis points out, “We are not facing two separate crises, the environmental and the social, but one complex crisis in which both the social and the environmental are intertwined.”
As a society and as individuals, we must accept that the situation is over. The Earth cannot sustain our way of life. It is estimated that if everyone lived like Americans, we would need five Earths.
Using data from 2021, the Global Footprint Network determined that by July 29 of that year, the world's population had consumed more from nature than the Earth could regenerate in a year. That date each year is known as “Earth Overshoot Day.”
From July 29th to December 31st, we were in debt to the Earth. In just seven months, we have blown through the planet's budget. Trends suggest that Earth Overshoot Day is coming earlier each year. Simply put, we are taking from the Earth more than she can give us.
“Unfortunately, we have reached a point of no return. It's sad, but it is the reality. … Climate change at this point is the road to death,” Pope Francis said in a recent interview.
We can bring balance back to Earth, but we must make changes to do so.
You think change isn't necessary? Rising temperatures are disrupting nature's life cycles. Insect populations are declining. Fewer pollinators mean fewer fruits and vegetables and less food. When the phytoplankton in the ocean and surrounding trees no longer produce oxygen, we can't breathe. When the wind no longer carries the clouds, we get thirsty.
But Pope Francis reminds us that the Holy Spirit “keeps faith communities on alert, calling them to a transformation of lifestyles in order to resist human degradation of the environment.”
Like Frodo in “The Lord of the Rings,” we wear rings. They hold the power of convenience and consumption. And they are becoming harder to give up. But like Frodo, we can choose to save our communities.
Start small: go meatless one day a week and avoid overbuying and food waste. Avoid fast fashion and buy clothes that will last for years instead of weeks. Eliminate single-use plastics. Reduce the number of miles you drive each week.
Know that “throwing away” is not an option. If you throw something away, it's going to end up somewhere. Convenience or cries of “we've always done it that way” are not reasons to avoid change.
Let us respond to Pope Francis' call to “accompany us on this journey of reconciliation with the world that is our home and help make it a more beautiful world.”
If you would like more ideas on how to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, please contact the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Creation Care team at [email protected].
Mark Reilly is a member of the archdiocese’s Creation Care Team and leads the Creation Care Team at Epiphany Church. He retired from GE Energy where he was manager of communications and public relations.
