Pope

July 17, 2015His Holiness, Pope FrancisApostolic Palace00120 Vatican CityLaudato si' correctly warns that environmental deterioration places all life on Earth at risk, and that “..the earth is a shared inheritance....”  It calls for a “...dialogue about how we can shape the future of our planet...,” and its plea to limit atmospheric temperature rise is a laudable cry for sustainability. Regardless of religious bent, we are all on the same side in confronting these challenges!The present net population growth rate of 200,000 people every day, added to an already unsustainable human population size, makes environmental challenges ever harder to solve.  In addition to what the encyclical correctly condemns as “..throwaway culture..” the problems listed in the encyclical are exacerbated by continuing global population growth.Climate change, water and food scarcity, inequality and poverty are driven by or are amplified by the continued growth of the human population. Over 1 billion followers look to the pope's guidance in making compassionate decisions on the size of their families. This pope brings to the human family the credence that goes with having been on the front lines with the marginalized and disenfranchised. It's now time to talk about the deleterious effects of the increasing size of that human family.

Many Regards,

Evan Jones