Vision of the human being in the Stockholm 72 conference: similarities and differences with Christian anthropology

Abstract A solution to the current socio-environmental crisis requires consensus and agreement between people and groups with different visions (Pascual et al. 2023). Regardless of individual ideologies or beliefs, it is essential to find common ground and act collectively to address a global problem. This paper identifies the similarities and differences between the anthropological vision underlying the UN documents, in particular the 1972 Stockholm conference, and the Catholic anthropological vision of the encyclical Laudato si’. The analysis delves deep into Stockholm 72 (S72) and its historical context for two reasons. First, S72 was the first major international conference to comprehensively address the relationship between human economic development and environmental protection, leading the way for subsequent conferences in Rio, Kyoto, Johannesburg, Copenhagen, Rio+20, Paris, etc., which have led (so far) to the 2030 Agenda. Second, there is a need to establish a general methodology of anthropological analysis, hitherto non-existent, applicable to UN conferences. Delving into the very first one is instrumental to understanding how the social, economic, and philosophical influences of the time are reflected in its vision of the individual and collective human being, in its contents, and in the global environmental policies that followed. The comparison of S72 with the ethical vision of Laudato si’, and more broadly with Catholic Social Teaching (CST), reveals many anthropological points of convergence. These provide a strong basis for constructive dialogue between UN documents and the Christian worldview, which also strongly promotes the care of our common home.