This Memorial Day the media is making it a point to focus on the record number of flights people are taking for the holiday. “Look at all the people flying! It’s a record number!”  All that makes me think of is how bad flying is for climate change. Driving is also increasing. Fossil fuel use is going up, not down. That’s the wrong direction.

So along comes Pope Francis and a recent interview with CBS News on climate change. Below is a clip.

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The Pope might not be someone you think of as doling out great advice on modern life. He’s Catholic, after all, and antiquated, and very old. He’s got bad ideas on gay people and women. But on climate change he is a very useful person. The Pope isn’t someone I generally look to for advice (since I’m not at all religious) but last week he said some very important things during an interview, which makes me like him, at least on the topic of climate change.

Climate change is the biggest threat humanity,  and the world faces, followed closely by nuclear war. Climate change is actually something the world could work on together, maybe preventing a nuclear war by focusing on what we can all do together with, you know, cooperation. But despite numerous and annual UN climate conferences nothing really seems to be happening. People are still driving their cars like nothing is wrong, still flying more than ever, and now there’s even a ridiculous pushback by right-wing people against EVs.

Just think about it. If life in this universe is really confined to this Earth (which I personally doubt) then why are humans so hellbent destroying it? That’s what climate change represents, ultimately – the destruction of all life on this planet, at least all higher forms of life. Yes, some insects might survive, but it won’t be bees and monarchs.

There are many videos on climate change. Everyone knows where they stand on this topic by now, don’t they? But at the risk of overlooking one of the best voices on this topic, I’m posting couple of the more recent Pope’s interviews and speeches on climate change here. Maybe directing your climate-doubting religious MAGA relatives to these videos will cause them to realize that the Pope believes climate change is an existential risk will change their minds, somehow.

Damage to Earth Threatens Life Itself

Pope Francis calls climate change a “Road to Death”

Pope Francis

If there is any reason to vote for Democrats this Fall, the reason would be climate change, At the very least, President Biden believes in climate change and believes that something needs to be done about it. The MAGA crowd thinks science is a “hoax”. That attitude could be a death blow to the entire planet.