Francis, the Green Pope

Greg Odogwu
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Before I delve into the topic of the day, I must state that I am delighted that Nigeria has produced two citizens who have just entered the international environmental hall of fame. Last weekend, two Nigerians, Prof. Francisca Okeke and Dr. Eucharia Nwaichi, did Nigeria proud. Okeke of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, my alma mater, bagged the prize of $100,000 as one of the winners of the 2013 L’Oreal-UNESCO awards in Physical Sciences for her contributions ‘‘to the understanding of daily variations of the ion currents in the upper atmosphere which may further our understanding of climate change.’’ A second Nigerian award recipient, Nwaichi, an environmental biochemist from the University of Port Harcourt, joined 15 other young scientists in the ‘‘International Fellows’’ category. No doubt, even if our government is dragging its feet, environmentally speaking, Nigerians in their individual capacities are not sleeping; and the world is taking note of these singular contributions. Congratulations, great Nigerians!

Now, back to today’s subject. I believe that many Nigerian Catholics are not aware of the green credentials of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI; not necessarily because Nigerians are not informed, but because ‘green’ is an arcane concept in this clime. The average Nigerian would not know, or care, whether the pope supports the fight against climate change or not, as long as he still wears his papal regalia. Maybe, the average “Naija guy” would have taken note if it was reported that the Pope likes hip-hop, or watches Nollywood movies. This is not insinuating that we are besotted with mundane things. I just want to illustrate the truth that over here, it is not fashionable to be green. Simple. Remember how a former Minister of Transport was virtually ridiculed when he mooted the idea that we develop the bicycle-riding culture? Remember how those who acquire many (unneeded) automobiles, and even aircraft, are hailed as cool? Some commentators have ascribed Pope Benedict’s green proclivities to his “Germanness” – Germany is so conscious of the environment, and is known for deploying renewable energy in every part of the country.

Pope Benedict XVI has been called the ‘‘Green Pope’’ for his actions on climate change. The Vatican City became the first carbon neutral country in the world under him. As part of that decision, a forest was planted to absorb as much carbon dioxide as the Vatican emits annually. Just a year later, over 2,400 solar panels were installed on the Vatican’s papal audience hall. In 2010, the Vatican decided to expand its solar programme to 100 megawatts – decidedly making Vatican City the greenest country on the planet. He also released a publication in the Papal Academy of Sciences where he noted the dire effects of climate change on glaciers, which also formed the entire sermon for the celebration of the World Day of Peace in 2010. In his 2013 New Year message, he said ‘‘ecological responsibility’’ should be taught as part of the education syllabus. What is more, he championed the evaluation of an all-electric, solar-powered Popemobile.

Now, with the announcement from Vatican City a couple of weeks ago that Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio has been elected the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, a whole chain of environmental analysts began a voyage of speculations to ascertain if Pope Francis will follow in his predecessor’s footsteps. Perhaps, the biggest hint comes from the name he has chosen: Francis. St. Francis of Assisi is world famous for his dedication to simplicity and nature; he is sometimes identified as the Patron Saint of Ecology, Animals and the Environment. He penned the Canticle of the Sun – a prayer giving thanks for all creatures and nature. But the most powerful statement of the new Pope’s green leaning is encoded in his first public statements, which is redolent of his predecessor’s famous green (also, arguably double-barrelled) quote: ‘‘If you want to cultivate peace, protect creation.’’ Pope Francis, in his inaugural homily, spoke of people as the ‘‘protectors of God’s Plan inscribed in Nature.’’

Going further, Pope Francis has other green credentials in his kitty. He has a Master’s degree in chemistry; he chooses to take transportation, including buses and subways (thereby offsetting his carbon footprint); he finished his doctoral training in Germany – a country widely known for its commitment to renewable energy; he is of the Jesuit Order, which has an environmental streak (the popular platform, Ecology and Jesuits in Communication, a.k.a EcoJesuits, easily comes to mind); he is known for standing with the weak, the poor and the downtrodden. This last attribute remains the one he is most known for. Of course, his now popular inclusion of women in the Easter rite is both an aspect of standing with the very underdogs of the society and also standing up to be counted in green activism. (Two young women were among 12 people whose feet Pope Francis washed and kissed at a traditional ceremony in a Rome youth prison on Holy Thursday, the first time a pontiff has included females in the rite.) This is because it is now an emerging global paradigm for gender equality to be mainstreamed into green politics.

Pope Francis has the markings of a living legend. In a world where religion has empowered its leaders, both financially and charismatically, and has befuddled many such principals into committing little errors of judgment fully founded on ego, it is refreshing to see a simple giant arise from the green horizon. Being environmentally conscious is not only about planting trees and chanting creeds, it is about committing to conservation, energy-efficiency and zero-tolerance to waste, against all odds. And, trust me, the higher on top you are, the hotter the demand; and your task, as per eco-responsibility, is to keep it cool. It was recently reported that Pope Francis shunned a grand papal apartment on the top floor of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace in favour of a modest two-room residence – and in doing so he has broken a tradition which is more than a century old. To me, with this very act he just raised a sign-post inscribed ‘pro-poor’, a catch-word in today’s environmental best practice.

It is now an irrefutable fact that the fast-growing global crisis represented by the ravages of climate change, will hit the rising global impoverished populations hard with increasingly deadly droughts, floods and storms as heat-trapping carbon pollution continues to build in the atmosphere. Some weeks back, the United Nations released an intense report about this impact – the hardest hit will be the poor as the world’s water and food resources are stretched to potential breaking points in many areas of the globe. Another fact: The health of the world’s poor is now more than ever connected to the environmental health of the planet. Therefore, through his simple but reverberating actions, Pope Francis is making a loud call, not only to the over 1.2 billion Catholics in the world, but to every man and woman of faith, irrespective of creed, to emulate this number one Catholic citizen of the world who is first ever to come from the developing world, and go green in whatever little aspect of each individual’s life, because the cumulative mileage – when everybody takes action – would be phenomenal to say the least.