ABSTRACT
Nothing in this world is indifferent to us is the strong message that Pope Francis aimed to convey in his encyclical letter Laudato si’; and he affirms that the solution to ecological concerns cannot be purely technological, but it involves the change of humanity, as we are all united by the same concern. However, five years after, the inability of world governments (and societies) to unite confirms that this change is yet to be obtained. This essay presents the case that the reason ecological concerns have been unable, so far, to develop a strong societal impact is to be found in two, fundamental, cultural frameworks of reference which seem to exercise the strongest influence on how such concerns are expressed and communicated in society, through media and political discourses. The first framework being the technological-progressivist interpretation. The second framework, instead, being the attempt at responsible consumption of resources. Both these frameworks are unable to escape from the inherent destructive path tied to consumption. Only the dimension of ‘care’, then, can allow us to balance our life and activity on earth, in a way where while taking with one hand, we give with the other.
