What is it about?
This paper explores an application of Catholic theology to mitigate the current destruction of God's creation underway due to global climate destabilization. Specifically it describes the possibility of the U.S. Catholic Church adopting a systematic plan to catalyze the world energy market to shift to solar photovoltaic energy, a non-polluting renewable energy source. The science behind the ecological crisis and climate change in the context of the Catholic basis for environmental stewardship is summarized to provide a moral foundation for the plan. Then, the viability and ramifications of integrating solar photovoltaic systems in all U.S. Catholic Churches is analyzed from technical, economic, and ethical perspectives.
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Why is it important?
Climate change is the greatest threat to our current society.
Perspectives
When this paper was written this idea would have allowed churches to buy in bulk to lower the cost of solar for everyone. Luckily, buying solar is economic for just about everyone even without bulk purchases. If the Catholic church and others were still to do this it would accelerate solar adoption and quicken the end of the fossil fuel era.
Professor Joshua M. Pearce
Michigan Technological University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Solar Photovoltaic Energy for Mitigation of Climate Change: A Catalytic Application of Catholic Social Thought, Worldviews Global Religions Culture and Ecology, January 2009, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/156853508x394526.
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