By: Mark D. Stansbery

Mark D. Stansbery
Wed, 04 Nov 2015 15:19:16 +0000

"The age of nations is past. The task before us now, if we would not perish, is to build the earth." -- Teilhard de Chardin In the light of the presentation by Cardinal Turkman in Mershon Auditorum (November 2, 2015), and his appraisal of the Pope's Encyclical on Earth and Justic, the Cardinal speaks of Integral Ecology. From the Encylical, Integral ecology begins with the recognition that humanity now faces existential crises on multiple fronts: extreme economic disparity, increased competition for resources including land and water, a severely degraded natural world, failing nation states, and a climate on the verge of spinning out of control. The "integral" in integral ecology is what's new. It realizes that these crises are not independent, but closely intertwined. Here's how people have put it: ... Francis will likely bring together issues of social justice and economic inequity into relationship with our growing understanding of global climate change and environmental trauma. ... While economic analysis is not the central agenda of his encyclical, it appears as if Francis will consider how relentless growth through capital investment both adversely affects the poor and the health of biological life on the planet. While discussions about social justice have been robust in Catholic and Christian contexts for centuries, this encyclical marks the first time social and eco-justice are brought into close relationship. OSU can not expect to be integral in this ecology by privatization of energy, we must provide public leadership to press forward. There is no public-private projects without public access and structure.