Rethinking Our Excessive Lifestyles: Assessment of Laudato Si’s Plea for Ecological Conversion

All through history, the ecological footprint of humanity has been a constraint to the natural functioning and flourishing of the ecosystem. However, very recently, especially since the beginning of the industrial revolution, humankind’s lifestyles, consumption of nature and the exploitation of the natural resources of the earth, are largely considered to be “excessive” and “careless” to the detriment of all creation. Hence, scientific reports, such as the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2014), and their ‘Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels (2018),’ and the Planetary Boundaries Framework of Johan Rockström and his colleagues from Stockholm Resilience Centre, are consistent in demonstrating that “human influence on the climate system is clear, and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history.” This designates that we are already in the Anthropocene, the human era. To that effect, the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, in 2015 is significant. This is because it highlights the burden modern human beings have inflicted on our Mother Earth, as a result of their “irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her.” Therefore, we assess in this article Laudato Si’s plea for ecological conversion, postulating that rethinking our excessive lifestyles in the Anthropocene is necessary for the sustainability of our common home, provided we are committed to averting a possible ecological catastrophe. Before we address the notions of Pope Francis’ ecological conversion, ecological education and spirituality, and how temperance is fundamental to moderating human lifestyles, appetite, and attitude towards the natural resources, it is pertinent to explore briefly the term ‘Anthropocene.’status: publishe