Not My Problem, Or Is It?

[MikeSar]

Looking for clarification on the Moral Responsibility for Extreme Risks.
No, not interested in the banking or the gambling “industry” or their morality, or lack thereof.
Am interested on the claim of many that Global Warming is not true with the implied failure to prepare ahead of time to help the nations that will be first affected by the first, major, catastrophe. No, not interested in Russia, yes, it is real but it is too late to “get ready”.

Specifically, please illustrate your views in reference to the 2 Billion people in Central Asia that will be at risk of dying for lack of water for drinking and farming.
This is not a “Catholic” problem, since most of these people are not Catholic. A majority are Muslims which means that Catholic help may, or may not, be welcomed and may even be dangerous. What about the Pilatus-option of “washing our hands” and try to sit it out, any immorality in that? Should we even pray for them? What would you do?

Rev. Niemoller wrote a moving poem in 1945 that listed all the reasons for not getting involved in the fate of Communists, Jews, Catholics, Union workers, etc., “and I didn’t speak up” to the Nazi Party, do we have a moral responsibility or can we ignore it since it does not affect us now?

 

[St_Francis]

I think that Catholics should help everyone in need regardless of the needy’s religion.

However, for me the main problem is that I do not believe these projections. Since I am 50+ years old, I have btdt. Global cooling in the 1970’s, running out of oil by 1990, oil everywhere in the Gulf from the oil spill,… these predictions of disaster seem to be an extension of Malthusian thinking, which from its very inception advocated radical population control.

 

[JimG]

You didn’t say specifically what problem you expect to arise in Central Asia that is potentially preventable by us. Predicting future catastrophes is an inexact art. Personally I think the globe may be at more immediate risk of nuclear war or economic collapse than the immediate effects of global warming. And taking particular steps to prevent any of those crises is also an inexact science with many unforeseen consequences. If, for example, we discovered that the Sun was in a pre-nova stage, should we take steps to prevent it?

 

[Trishie]

It’s a human problem…and remember Jesus’ story of the good Samaritan. He came from a different people and had a different creed, but Jesus shared this parable to teach that all humans are our brothers and sisters, the neighbour we must love as ourselves…and yes, I know that major rivers in Asia are degrading and glaciers are receding, so the sources of some of the great Asian rivers are threatened.

 

[St_Francis]

North Korea has been having trouble feeding its people for several years, and apparently Russia and Communist China are having a drought; presumably Central Asia will be affected as those nations are in between the two.

In between the Soviet Union’s diversion of some of the water and an apparent excess melting of the glacier which provides water and a change in weather caused by La Nina (which makes the melting waters come too early in the season) (afaict), it seems that the people there are experiencing the worst drought in 50 years.

To me, the best thing that we could do to help would be to help them maintain their independence by teaching them to use open-pollinated (not GM) drought-resistant seed, and perhaps to expand into a crop area which they could export in order to balance off the probable need to import.

Unfortunately, this is probably not what will happen.

 

[Mark77]

**Jesus taught us;

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Mt 6:26)

Stop wasting your time worrying about the endless parade of man-made, meaningless crisis & focus on Jesus Christ, Our Lord & Savior!**

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

mark