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Amministratori o usufruttuari del creato. I. La crisi ambientale e il rapporto uomo-natura

Summary: The impact of both climate change and environmental degradation claims many victims each year. Because humans are responsible for climate change, it is mandatory to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Saint Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecologists, stresses that at the core of the Christian’s relationship with creation is the awareness of it being both a Gift of God and a place where humans can encounter God, because creation too is destined to share in the resurrection of the children of God. There is a strong connection between having peace with creation and peace among men because both require having peace with God. Christian environmental ethics keeps its distance from both radical anthropocentrism and ecocentrism. The former is a theory that only takes into consideration the interests of the present generation, while the latter neglects the ontological difference between human beings and the rest of the world of nature. A Christian’s relationship with creation expresses a relative anthropocentrism and theocentrism. Environmental protection involves taking part both in the defence and in the promotion of the common good that involves human dignity. The reflection on the theological bases of Christian responsibility towards creation will appear in the second part of this article.Summary: The impact of both climate change and environmental degradation claims many victims each year. Because humans are responsible for climate change, it is mandatory to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Saint Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of ecologists, stresses that at the core of the Christian’s relationship with creation is the awareness of it being both a Gift of God and a place where humans can encounter God, because creation too is destined to share in the resurrection of the children of God. There is a strong connection between having peace with creation and peace among men because both require having peace with God. Christian environmental ethics keeps its distance from both radical anthropocentrism and ecocentrism. The former is a theory that only takes into consideration the interests of the present generation, while the latter neglects the ontological difference between human beings and the rest of the world of nature. A Christian’s relationship with creation expresses a relative anthropocentrism and theocentrism. Environmental protection involves taking part both in the defence and in the promotion of the common good that involves human dignity. The reflection on the theological bases of Christian responsibility towards creation will appear in the second part of this article.