Reclaiming Paradise: Humanity's Quest for a Sustainable Home
Written on
Throughout history, the Catholic Church's interaction with scientific advancement has been intricate, oscillating between periods of endorsement and conflict. Nonetheless, the Church's recent teachings, as articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church released by John Paul II on October 11, 1992, assert that:
“Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.” “Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. the humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.” — Catechism of the Catholic Church
In essence, the Catholic Church posits that faith and reason are harmonious rather than contradictory. Scientific inquiry, when conducted ethically, aligns with faith, suggesting that delving into nature's mysteries equates to uncovering divine handiwork.
The entwined nature of faith and science is vividly illustrated in the opening chapters of the Bible. In these texts, Adam and Eve are created and granted dominion over the idyllic garden of Eden, with the stipulation to refrain from consuming from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Humanity's role was to nurture the natural world—intervening without disruption, caring without interference, and harmoniously participating in the melody of life.
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’” — The Book of Genesis
Driven by innate curiosity and a compelling “what if?”, mankind yielded to temptation and picked an apple from the tree. This act ignited an enduring thirst for knowledge that has propelled our species through scientific exploration, albeit at the expense of divine favor, leading to Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden.
“Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.” — The Book of Genesis
The narrative of Eden serves as a powerful metaphor for humanity's journey since the late 1600s. It’s as if the moment Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden fruit, it rolled through time and landed at Woolsthorpe Manor, where a young scientist named Isaac Newton conducted pivotal experiments during the bubonic plague in 1666. It was there that he famously witnessed an apple fall from a tree.
This fruit kindled in Newton the same insatiable curiosity that Adam and Eve experienced. It inspired his groundbreaking scientific work that explored the core principles of classical mechanics and universal gravitation—his seminal piece, “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica.” Newton effectively dismantled the grand stage of the universe, revealing the intricate mechanics that underlie its operations.
Known affectionately as the “Principia,” Newton's work represented a monumental leap in physics, marking a true revolution in the field. It stands as a paragon of scientific achievement and is recognized as a foundational contribution to the history of science. Moreover, the impact of Newton's findings extended far beyond academia, playing a crucial role in catalyzing the Industrial Revolution and paving the way for centuries of innovation and human advancement.
While the term “progress” captures the vast achievements of humanity over the past 350 years, it would be shortsighted not to recognize the significant toll this progress has taken on our planet. Much like Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden due to their curiosity, we, too, are jeopardizing our own Garden of Eden—the pristine Holocene epoch—due to our relentless quest for knowledge. Will our curiosity and pursuit of progress inevitably exact a heavy price on our environment?
The contributions of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and others during the Scientific Revolution laid the groundwork for the Age of Enlightenment, a broader intellectual movement encompassing politics, ethics, philosophy, and the social sciences. Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke, and Kant emphasized reason, individual rights, liberty, and the pursuit of knowledge. The precise starting point of the Enlightenment is debated; some attribute it to René Descartes’ 1637 publication declaring “I think, therefore I am,” while others cite Newton’s "Principia" as a pivotal transition from the Scientific Revolution to the Enlightenment.
The Shovel.
Regardless of the specific timeline, it is clear that the Age of Reason spurred the Industrial Revolution, typically noted to have begun around 1760 and extending to approximately 1840. While humanity had previously impacted nature—evidenced by the dodo’s extinction by 1681—1760 marked the onset of industrial machinery that would lead to widespread environmental degradation. During this era, as cotton manufacturers replaced traditional water wheels with steam engines and coal, it is unlikely they fully considered the potential implications for climate change.
One notable exception to the ignorance of the time is found in the opening chapter of Charles Babbage’s influential work, “On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures.” Here, he expresses concern about the environmental impact of steam power in factories. Babbage, often regarded as the father of modern computing, introduced economic analysis into manufacturing. The excerpt below captures a moment of foresight from Babbage, occurring roughly twenty-five years before John Tyndall addressed the greenhouse effect and over fifty years prior to Svante Arrhenius’ first calculations regarding the rise in Earth’s surface temperature due to increased carbon dioxide emissions.
“The chemical changes which thus take place are constantly increasing the atmosphere by large quantities of carbonic acid [i.e. carbon dioxide] and other gases noxious to animal life. The means by which nature decomposes these elements, or reconverts them into a solid form, are not sufficiently known.” — On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures
Although climate change began during the Industrial Revolution, estimates suggest that the warming from the early 1700s to 1850 was only about 0.1°C, with human influence possibly ranging from 0.0°C to 0.2°C. The climate changes observed between 1750 and 1900 were largely attributed to increased emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols, as well as shifts in land use. During this period, atmospheric CO? levels rose from approximately 278 ppm to about 285 ppm, a pace we now see in just a few years.
The Dig.
The most significant climate damage occurred primarily after the mid-19th century, coinciding with the Industrial Revolution, which drove a surge in global population and rapid urbanization.
This exponential rise in population and economic growth led to accelerated environmental degradation. With each new technological advancement, environmental repercussions closely followed. The proliferation of the internal combustion engine and the expansion of the aviation industry exemplify this trend. Additionally, new agricultural practices and the industrialization of livestock production in the latter half of the 20th century resulted in increased emissions, land use, and water consumption.
Alongside rising greenhouse gas emissions, the period from the mid-19th century to the late 20th century saw a rapid increase in deforestation, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and ocean acidification, among other environmental challenges. Notably, the late 1970s marked the observation of ozone layer depletion. In response, swift action was taken with the adoption of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which banned the production of CFCs, halons, and other ozone-depleting substances. This ban, effective from 1989, led to stabilization of ozone levels by the mid-1990s and a recovery in the 2000s. This successful resolution of ozone depletion illustrates the potential of international cooperation to tackle large-scale environmental issues, all while fostering economic development and scientific advancement. In some instances, it even spurred research for alternatives to banned refrigerants.
Despite these successes, the environmental struggle continues. A recent study from Nature Geoscience highlighted a resurgence in CFCs in the atmosphere. While current levels do not pose an immediate threat to ozone recovery, they contribute to broader atmospheric warming alongside other emissions, likely stemming from leaks during the production of substitutes for CFCs, such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFOs).
The Ladder?
As we navigate modern times, we face the challenge of balancing progress and economic growth with environmental preservation. Despite ongoing increases in greenhouse gas emissions, a trend toward stabilization in their growth rate is becoming evident.
Since the 1990s, emissions in Europe have decreased by about 24%, as reported by the World Bank. Meanwhile, the United States has seen a 3.7% rise in greenhouse gas emissions during the same timeframe, while China’s emissions have surged nearly 300%, and India’s have risen by 178%.
Despite the overall increase in global emissions, there are promising indications that net-zero emissions may eventually be achievable. However, concerns are mounting that these efforts might be too late, and our departure from Eden could become irreversible. Even if we manage to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, ongoing natural carbon emissions, such as those from melting Arctic permafrost, remain a pressing concern. Moreover, we face a multitude of other urgent environmental challenges, including high extinction rates, rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and plastic pollution.
The successful resolution of ozone depletion and the reduction of carbon emissions in certain regions offer hope that, with vigilance, international collaboration, and effective enforcement, we can tackle environmental challenges while continuing to make progress. However, it is crucial to acknowledge our human fallibility; we are prone to errors, and our margin for mistakes is diminishing. It would indeed be ironic if, in our relentless quest to reclaim our lost paradise, we unwittingly hasten its demise, all while forgetting that our journey began within its pristine perfection.
Sources: Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Book of Genesis, Encyclopedia Britannica, On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures, worldhistory.org, National Geographic, IPCC AR6 Report, U.S. Library of Congress, BBC, Our World in Data, JSTOR, UNEP, Nature Geoscience, Euronews, IEA