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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. 44
