The term Climate Justice frames global warming as an ethical, social, economic, political, and environmental issue. CO2 levels in the atmosphere now reach 415 ppm, far above the 300 ppm level of the last 3 million years. The consequences of the climate’s heating are intensifying around the world. We have only a short window of time left to limit climate change catastrophe.

In Laudato Sí, Pope Francis speaks to an integral ecology:

Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of nature, included in it and thus in constant interaction with it. Recognizing the reasons why a given area is polluted requires a study of the workings of society, its economy, its behavior patterns, and the ways it grasps reality.

Given the scale of change, it is no longer possible to find a specific, discrete answer for each part of the problem. It is essential to seek comprehensive solutions which consider the interactions within natural systems themselves and with social systems. We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.

– Laudato Sí, 139

Some excerpts from our Corporate Stance on climate change .…

With our Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration, we commit to: 

• Lending our individual and collective voice to those efforts, consistent with our Catholic faith and the Dominican search for truth, that seek to mitigate the effects of Climate Change.

• Changes in lifestyle individually and collectively that will reduce our carbon footprint upon the planet and encourage others to do the same in our homes, at places of work, at the institutions where we have influence, and in our communities of worship.

• Educating ourselves, family, friends, neighbors and colleagues about global warming and ways to address this challenge.

• Joining like-minded groups to mobilize awareness and action toward a more sustainable future by working for systemic change and legislation to protect the environment and the community of life. 
• Making responsible investments, supporting the development of sustainable energies, and advocating for more environmentally responsible corporate policies and practices.