Every ten years or so, environmental problems come to the fore
and governments use a lot of energy trying to find solutions to
problems such as global warming, global cooling, natural
resource extraction and over-fishing. We are going through one
such phase at the moment. As Catholics, we should of course
think of the needs of future generations and we should care for
the created universe. Indeed, our own local Bishops conference
published a document on the environment in 2002 though it left
much to be desired. There are three concepts in Catholic Social
Teaching that are often held in constructive tension and that
are relevant to environmental issues. The first is the primacy
of private property and the autonomy of individuals and
families. Secondly, there is the universal destination of goods
and the recognition that private property, though very
important, is not sacrosanct. Thirdly, there is the notion that
government should always behave in such a way that promotes the
common good: generally through supp