Climate Change and Social-Ecological Resilience: Nature and People in Flux

Sr. Damien Marie Savino, FSE, PhD
Dean, Science and Sustainability
Aquinas College

As the climate is changing, nature and people are in flux along with it. This talk draws upon social-ecological resilience theory and the social teachings of the Church, especially as articulated in Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ and his recent apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, as a framework for addressing the social-ecological impacts of climate change. What are key principles of social-ecological resilience? How can we build social-ecological resilience to cope better with climate fluxes? How can Catholic social teachings contribute to this effort? Because “everything is interconnected,” as Pope Francis emphasizes in Laudato Si’, fostering resilience is about building the adaptive capacities of intertwined human and ecological systems so they can develop in an integral way in the face of the complexities, uncertainties, and changes instantiated by climate change. This is a burgeoning area of interdisciplinary research with broad applications to contemporary social-ecological challenges and integral human development.