Protecting the environment is a priority in both research and action to avoid the disruption of the ecosystems forming the biosphere, which may lead to an uninhabitable planet.
Pope John Paul II clearly expressed his concern about the environment in his allocution to the Academy on October 28, 1986: “The harmonious relationship between man and nature is a fundamental element of civilisation, and it is easy to grasp all the contribution that science can bring to this field of ecology, in the form of defence against violent alterations of the environment and of growth in the quality of life through the humanisation of nature”.
Following the Pope’s suggestion, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which since 1970 has chosen to study scientific problems concerning ecology, immediately organized a Study Week on A Modern Approach to the Protection of the Environment, which took place on November 2-7, 1987.
On the basis of the research data obtained in the last twenty years and the analysis of the state of the biosphere, it was decided that the meeting should aim at suggesting solutions and actions for environmental protection.
Carlos Chagas