Our Common Home

This conference explores the implications of Pope Francis’s newly released encyclical on the environment and climate change, “Laudato Si' (Praised Be): On Care for our Common Home.”

Distinguished presenters over four days discussed how the moral voice of faith communities can offer distinct contributions to address climate change, as well as the national and international policy implications of the international climate conference (COP21) held in Paris, and theological considerations of the encyclical. 

Cosponsored by the Jesuit Institute, the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Catholic Climate Covenant, Catholic Studies Interdisciplinary Minor, CRS Student Ambassadors, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Economics Honors Program, EcoPledge, Environmental Studies Program, International Studies Program, School of Theology and Ministry, Sociology Department, SustainBC, Theology Department, and University Mission and Ministry. Generously supported by a grant from the Boston College Institute for Liberal Arts.

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Markey

Opening Lecture - September 28, 2015

Leading the Way: The Economic, Technological, and Moral Imperative for U.S. Climate Action
Senator Edward J. Markey, United States Senator for Massachusetts

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Holdren

Opening Lecture - September 28, 2015

Climate Science, the Pope’s Encyclical, and the President’s Climate Action Plan
John Holdren, Assistant to the President of the United States for Science and Technology

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turkson

The Canisius Lecture - September 28, 2015

Sustainable Humanity, Sustainable Planet
His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Cardinal of Ghana and president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace

Cardinal Peter Turkson, a chief advisor to Pope Francis, examines the Pope’s sweeping climate change encyclical, Laudato Si, and its global impact on faith, environmental policy, and social justice. Video courtesy of Boston College Front Row.

 

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LaudatoSiPanel

Policy/COP21 Panel Discussion - September 29, 2015

Climate Change and Vulnerable Communities
Maryanne Loughry, RSM, associate director, Jesuit Refugee Service Australia; Edouard Tétreau, French economist and essayist; member of the Vatican' s Cortile dei Gentiliscientific committee; Moderator: Joseph Manning, associate, Corporate Program, Ceres.

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Chichilnisky

Global Climate Change Policy Lecture - September 29, 2015

Avoiding Extinction: The Role of COP21
Graciela Chichilnisky, visiting professor of economics, Stanford University, professor of economics and of statistics, and director, Columbia Consortium for Risk Management, Columbia University.

Graciela Chichilnisky, CEO and cofounder of Global Thermostat, professor of economics and mathematical statistics at Columbia University, and a visiting professor at Stanford University, delivers the keynote address during the second day of “Our Common Home.”  Video courtesy of Boston College Front Row.

 

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LaudatoSiPanel2

Climate Change and the Media Panel Discussion - September 30, 2015

Laudato Si' and the Media
Andrew Revkin, environment reporter for the New York Times, senior fellow for environmental understanding at the Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies, Pace University; Grant Gallicho, associate editor at Commonweal Magazine; Moderator: Tiziana C. Dearing, associate professor, School of Social Work, Boston College.

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LaudatoSiPanel3

Implications of the Encyclical Panel Discussion - September 30, 2015

Laudato Si' and Catholic Social Teaching
Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, associate professor of theology, Boston College Theology Department; Kristin Heyer, professor of theology, Boston College Theology Department; Dan Misleh, executive director, Catholic Climate Covenant; Moderator: Kevin Brown, Ph.D. candidate in systematic theology, Boston College Theology Department.

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LaudatoSiPanel4

Theology/Ethics Panel - September 30, 2015

The Theology and Ethics of Sustainability
Willis Jenkins, associate professor of religious studies, University of Virginia; Erin Lothes, assistant professor of theology, College of Saint Elizabeth; Moderator: Grant Gallicho, associate editor of Commonweal Magazine.

Panelists Willis Jenkins, associate professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, and Erin Lothes, assistant professor of Theology at the College of Saint Elizabeth, discuss the ethics and theology of sustainability during the third day of “Our Common Home,” a Boston College-sponsored conference exploring the implications of Pope Francis’s newly released encyclical on the environment and climate change. Grant Gallicho, associate editor of Commonweal Magazine, serves as the event's moderator. Video courtesy of Boston College Front Row.

 

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Agyeman

Keynote Lecture - October 1, 2015

Toward Just Sustainabilities
Julian Agyeman, Professor, Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, Tufts University.