Our ‘common home’ Earth is boiling. With temperatures exceeding 40℃ and extreme rainfall, the intensity of climate change is reaching a catastrophic level. While the Earth suffers in this way, humans turn a blind eye, content with the immediate benefits. Selfish indifference is leading to the destruction of all creatures.
The primary cause of the climate crisis is the increased emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, resulting from the extensive use of fossil fuels. The international community’s awareness of climate change began with the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Rio Conference in Brazil in 1992. Since then, 29 Conferences of the Parties (COPs) have been held every year to limit greenhouse gas emissions, but they have failed to stop the rise in the Earth’s average temperature.
At the 21st COP held in 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted, which limited the increase in the Earth’s average temperature to 1.5℃ and contained greenhouse gas reduction goals for each country. However, last year, the average global temperature rose by 1.55 °C compared to pre-industrial times, marking the highest level ever recorded. To prevent the climate crisis, it is essential to transition away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable, renewable energy sources.
Renewable energy refers to all forms of energy that already exist in nature, such as solar energy, hydroelectric power, and wind power. Among them, solar energy plays a key role in renewable energy.
In June 2024, Pope Francis announced the motu proprio Fratello Sole, an ‘urgent order’. He ordered the construction of an ‘agricultural solar power plant’ on the Vatican grounds outside Rome with the goal of ‘zero’ carbon emissions. Pope Leo XIV followed suit and announced ‘Vatican RE100’ to cover the entire Vatican with 100% renewable energy by 2050.
The Lee Jae-myung government’s energy policy is an ‘energy mix’ that utilizes existing nuclear power plants to the maximum extent and expands renewable energy. As of 2023, the share of power generation in our country is only 31% coal and nuclear power, 27% LNG, and 10% renewable energy. During his candidacy, President Lee said, “Nuclear power is cheap right now, but it can be costly when you consider waste disposal and risk costs.” He also said, “We cannot export due to international greenhouse gas regulations,” and “The sun, light, and wind belong to us all.”
The Catholic Church advocates for climate justice through ‘decarbonization’ such as coal phase-out, denuclearization, and de-transmission towers. However, its stance on nuclear power as an energy source is cautious.
As discussions continue on the role of nuclear power in the process of transitioning to RE100, the threat of nuclear power and the stability of waste management must be addressed. Currently, investment and momentum in nuclear energy are increasing worldwide, and our country is a leading exporter of nuclear power.
The Vatican is the smallest country in the world with no industrial facilities or trade. However, the Vatican’s efforts to promote RE100 could have a significant impact on the global energy industry. Because it can serve as a compass guiding the future of the energy industry and driving the expansion of ESG (environmental, social, and governance performance standards). Investment based on moral authority, vast diplomatic power, and the presence of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.
To prevent climate change and fully preserve the Earth, inexhaustible solar energy is essential. The power of all-natural energy is the sun. The climate crisis can be an opportunity. To do so, we need to empathize with the crisis, unite, and act together. To produce renewable energy, we need to establish a low-carbon economic structure and create new jobs and markets. The sun, the eldest brother of the planets, is now speaking to the Earth. “I will eliminate climate disease and take good care of the Earth! Make more use of me.”
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