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1. INTRODUCTION
pretext for postponing cost-effective measures"? which prevent environmental
degradation. "This precautionary principle makes it possible to protect those
who are most vulnerable and whose ability to defend their interests and to
assemble incontrovertible evidence is limited. If objective information suggests
that serious and irreversible damage may result, a project should be halted or
modified, even in the absence of indisputable proof. Here the burden of proof
is effectively reversed, since in such cases objective and conclusive
demonstrations will have to be brought forward to demonstrate that the
proposed activity will not cause serious harm to the environment or to those
who inhabit it.”1"°
1.8. Conclusion
While church documents do not explicitly use the term “rights of nature”,
the principles articulated in the first green encyclical, Laudato Si’ and other
teachings, reflect a growing recognition of the need to respect and protect
the natural world as part of God’s creation. The Church emphasizes
stewardship, moral responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all life, which
underpins the ethos behind the Nature Rights Movement, advocating a legal
and ethical framework that respects the intrinsic value of the environment.
Another important element of teaching is that planning must be long-term.
“Here, continuity is essential, because policies related to climate change and
environmental protection cannot be altered with every change of government.
Results take time and demand immediate outlays which may not produce
tangible effects within any one government’s term. That is why, in the absence
of pressure from the public and from civic institutions, political authorities
will always be reluctant to intervene, all the more when urgent needs must
be met. To take up these responsibilities and the costs they entail, politicians
will inevitably clash with the mindset of short-term gain and results which
dominates present-day economics and politics. But if they are courageous,
they will attest to their God-given dignity and leave behind a testimony of
selfless responsibility. A healthy politics is sorely needed, capable of reforming
and coordinating institutions, promoting best practices and overcoming undue
pressure and bureaucratic inertia. It should be added, though, that even the
best mechanisms can break down when there are no worthy goals and values,
10? United Nations, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (UNCED, 14 June 1992),
principle 15, A/CONF 151/26 (Vol. I), https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/
migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_CONF.151_26_Vol.I_Declaration.pdf.
40 Francis: 2015. Laudato si’, 887-945.
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