LSRI publishes new report on the current biodiversity crisis

The Laudato Si’ Research Institute has recently published a report on biodiversity loss and ecological conversion, titled “The Wailing of God’s Creatures – Catholic Social Teaching, Human Activity, and the Collapse of Biological Diversity”.

"The anthropogenic decline of biodiversity has reached such a dramatic level that biologists consider it the beginning of a sixth mass extinction, in the course of which the planet could lose the majority of its wildlife, making it impossible for the system to adapt any further."

The report, commissioned by CIDSE, CAFOD, and the Global Catholic Climate Movement, calls for the immediate action from scientists, policy makers, and in particular, the Roman Catholic Church. The report seeks to offer Catholic actors insight into the socio-ecological crisis of biodiversity loss and recommend how to advocate for the protection of the biosphere in light of Catholic Social Teaching (CST).

Some key information from the report:

• Global consumption is unbalanced, with the wealthiest 20% using up 80% of global resources. This unequal consumption is a key driver of biodiversity decline.
   
• Humanity’s ecological footprint exceeds Earth’s biocapacity by over 50%, so that we would need 1.6 Earths to sustain our unsustainable lifestyle.
   
• Every driver of extinction has a social and ecological dimension, and it is impossible to address one without the other. Tackling problems such as land use change, species overexploitation, or pollution requires addressing the economic challenges associated with them.
   
• A radical ecological conversion, on both individual and societal level, is needed to address the socio-ecological biodiversity crisis.
   
• Catholic actors are uniquely placed to initiate a cultural transition toward greater concern for nonhuman life.

                                                      Read the report