Environmental doomsday? Jesuit magazine says it's overstated

Published: 2004-02-27

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Against the steady drumbeat of news about environmental disasters and impending planetary doom, a small voice of optimism was raised recently by a Jesuit journal close to the Vatican. It just might be that instead of falling apart, the world is actually becoming a better place to live, said La Civilta Cattolica in its Feb. 21 issue. The article was titled, "Is the world in danger?" and the answer seemed to be: Not really. It suggested that ecological threats often are overstated. "Real environmental problems cannot be ignored, but it's not right to exaggerate them in order to better defend the environment. Nor does it seem that these are the worst problems in this world," said the article, written by Jesuit Father GianPaolo Salvini. After citing a number of doomsday predictions that have so far failed to materialize, the article said the media was often to blame for fueling the "catastrophic visions" that seem to mark the modern age.

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