Concept Note
A year after the publication of Pope Francis’s Encyclical Letter Laudato si’ on “care for our common home”, and nearly a year after the historic agreement called COP 21, there is growing consensus on the urgency of moving forward both courageously and quickly, and, for many, under the guidance of the Encyclical Letter Laudato si’, on the care for our common home.
“We must seek guidance from science, we must seek guidance from economics, but perhaps most importantly we must seek the guidance of our moral compass” (Executive Director of UNFCCC). The Encyclical Letter Laudato si’ “emboldens us with moral authority to take more ambitious actions and accelerate the transition to new models of growth”. With COP 22 scheduled for Marrakesh in mid-November, this is an opportune time to take interdisciplinary stock of the situation scientifically, environmentally, socioeconomically and politically.
Accordingly, on Wednesday 28 September 2016, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace are convoking a day’s consultation to evaluate the reception and impact of Laudato si’. Alongside members of the Pontifical Institutions, distinguished scholars and leaders from various sectors will present their views on the Encyclical Letter, the scientific consensus it reflects, the ethical guidance it offers, the economic and social changes it requires and calls for. Attention will be paid throughout to the challenges which COP 22 must take up during its sessions in Morocco, on 7-18 November 2016.