CHAPTERFIVE
LINESOFAPPROACHANDACTION
163. So far I have attempted to take stockof our present situation, pointing to the cracks in the planet
that we inhabit aswell as to the profoundlyhuman causes of environmental degradation. Although the
contemplation of this reality in itself has already shown the need for a change of direction and other
courses of action, nowwe shall try to outline themajor paths of dialogue which can help us escape the
spiral of self-destructionwhich currentlyengulfs us.
I.
DIALOGUEONTHEENVIRONMENT INTHE INTERNATIONALCOMMUNITY
164. Beginning in the middle of the last century and overcomingmany difficulties, there has been a
growing conviction that our planet is a homeland and that humanity is one people living in a common
home. An interdependent world not only makes us more conscious of the negative effects of certain
lifestyles andmodels of production and consumptionwhich affect us all;more importantly, it motivates
us to ensure that solutions are proposed from a global perspective, and not simply to defend the
interests of a few countries. Interdependence obliges us to think of
one world
with a common plan
.
Yet the same ingenuity which has brought about enormous technological progress has so far proved
incapable of finding effective ways of dealing with grave environmental and social problems
worldwide. A global consensus is essential for confronting the deeper problems, which cannot be
resolved by unilateral actions on the part of individual countries. Such a consensus could lead, for
example, to planning a sustainable and diversified agriculture, developing renewable and less polluting
forms of energy, encouraging amore efficient use of energy, promoting a bettermanagement ofmarine
and forest resources, and ensuringuniversal access to drinkingwater.
165. We know that technology based on the use of highly polluting fossil fuels – especially coal, but
also oil and, to a lesser degree, gas – needs to be progressively replaced without delay. Until greater
progress is made in developing widely accessible sources of renewable energy, it is legitimate to
choose the lesser of two evils or to find short-term solutions. But the international communityhas still
not reached adequate agreements about the responsibility for paying the costs of this energy transition.
In recent decades, environmental issues have given rise to considerable public debate and have elicited
