Explore the Series
This conference aims to create lively interdisciplinary dialogues raising ecological consciousness, drawing attention to climate-forward initiatives, and encouraging both personal discernment and social action.
The Current State of Climate Science
What鈥檚 happening? Are we too late? Can we bend the curve even now? What has changed since 2015? Further, what needs to be done, by when, and how to do it?
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Wednesday, January 29, 2025
6:30 pm - 7:45 pm U.S. Eastern Time
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The Contribution of Catholic Social Thought
Ten years after the publication of Laudato Si鈥, what are, or ought to be, the growing edges of Catholic social thought? What does it have to contribute to our understanding of the climate crisis and the development of an ecological conscience?
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Monday, February 17, 2025
6:30 pm - 7:45 pm U.S. Eastern Time
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The Political Economy of Climate Change
How do we move from what Pope Francis has called an 鈥渆conomy that kills鈥 both people and planet to an economy that is truly sustainable and just? What are the levers of such a system change, and what are the obstacles to it?
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Tuesday, March 11, 2025
5:30 pm - 6:45 pm U.S. Eastern Time
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Environmental Politics
What are practical, effective forms of political action to counter the climate crisis and build both solidarity and momentum? Are all the winds countervailing, or are there promising movements and trends?
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Wednesday, April 9, 2025
6:30 pm - 7:45 pm U.S. Eastern Time
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About the Conference
Envisioning a Livable Future is an online, serial conference marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis鈥檚 encyclical Laudato Si鈥: On Care for Our Common Home. This groundbreaking document called climate change 鈥渙ne of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day,鈥 proposed an analysis of 鈥渢he human roots of the ecological crisis,鈥 and advanced a new ecological vision for the challenges ahead.
Guided by the Jesuit apostolic preferences to 鈥渁ccompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future鈥 and to "collaborate in the care of our common home,鈥 the conference seeks to inspire lively interdisciplinary dialogues aimed at:
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Raising ecological consciousness,
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Drawing attention to climate-forward initiatives, and
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Encouraging both personal discernment and social action.
Following the four spring 2025 events, fall 2025 events will address investment and finance, the promise and perils of technology, and the role of the arts.
About the Organizer
This conference is organized by 黑料大事, in collaboration with the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago.
As Catholic, Jesuit institutions, these universities are dedicated to rigorous inquiry, the dignity of the human person, the promotion of justice, and care for creation.
The series is made possible through the support of the Boler College of Business, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the Office of Mission & Identity at 黑料大事 and the Hank Center at Loyola University Chicago. Special thanks to the organizing committee, which includes faculty, staff, and students who have worked to bring this vision to life.
For more information about the conference, contact Bernard Prusak, Raymond & Eleanor Smiley Chair in Business Ethics, bprusak@jcu.edu.
Speakers: The Current State of Climate Science
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, Chief Scientist for the Nature Conservancy & Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Public Law, Texas Tech University
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, Director of the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability and Professor of Earth & Environment, Boston University
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, Founding Dean of the Loyola University Chicago School of Sustainability and Professor of Biology, Loyola University Chicago
Speakers: The Contribution of Catholic Social Thought
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, Social Media Manager and Young Adult Mobilization Program Assistant, Catholic Climate Covenant
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, Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture, University of Dayton
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, Distinguished Research Professor in Climate Sciences, University of California at San Diego, and Pontifical Academy of Sciences
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, Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies and Chemistry, MIT, and Pontifical Academy of Sciences
Speakers: The Political Economy of Climate Change
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, Co-Founder, Delta Fund
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, Co-Founder, Delta Fund
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, author of The Value of a Whale: On the Illusions of Green Capitalism, and Director of Research at Common Wealth
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, Assistant Professor of Media Studies, University of Colorado Boulder, and columnist for America magazine
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, Co-Founder, Francesco Collaborative
Speakers: Environmental Politics
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, Director of Parks and Recreation, City of Cleveland
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, Director, Great Lakes Environmental Justice Program, Restore America鈥檚 Estuaries
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, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Florida International University, and Mayor of South Miami, 2010-2020
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, 黑料大事 Journalist in Residence & former NBC News correspondent