As we go to press with this issue of Working Notes, we at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice are keenly aware of how the theme of “Integral Ecology” might appear distant from the pressing concerns of the pandemic. But appearances can deceive. While Pope Francis does not mention the risk of novel... Read more »

  In May 2015 Pope Francis published Laudato Si’, his Encyclical Letter on Caring for our Common Home. Five years on, his appeal to every person on this planet remains as relevant. “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and... Read more »

  Introduction In May 2015 Pope Francis published Laudato Si’, Encyclical Letter on Care for Our Common Home. This work of two-hundred pages addresses many aspects of the complex challenge presented by the ecological crisis. Francis proposes that we adopt a personal and cultural attitude of “integral ecology” recognising that “everything is interconnected.” The issues... Read more »

Introduction Over the past decade, climate breakdown has come to be recognised as the greatest threat to human rights. Climate change threatens the right to life, health, food, water, property, education, work, culture, adequate standard of living, means of subsistence, adequate/secure housing, self-determination and a healthy environment. The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and... Read more »

  When the Covid-19 pandemic caused oil stocks to plummet, the US President was accused of facilitating “corporate socialism” by proposing to bailout the fossil fuel industry at a cost of $20 billion. However, this was not an isolated incident, brought about in exceptional times. The ailing fossil fuel industry has long relied on public... Read more »

  Introduction If asked to name the most scenic places in Ireland, where would you mention? Connemara, the Burren, the Wicklow Mountains, the Leitrim Hills, the Shannon Callows, or somewhere else along the west coast? The list is endless. While visually stunning to locals and tourists alike, these areas bear another similarity as they are... Read more »

“…sustainability is not an individual property but a property of an entire web of relationships: it involves a whole community” – Fritjof Capra Introduction Climate change and biodiversity loss are crises that not only put ecosystems, but also human societies at risk. Our present mainstream sustainability thinking discusses the compromises between the three pillars of... Read more »