In Fall 2022, Old Mission Santa Barbara hosted a free virtual speaker series called Climate Change: Caring for Our Common Home.
Attendees heard from scientists, Franciscan friars, and spiritual leaders, as they discussed climate science, the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor, ecospirituality, climate justice, and how faith affects one’s responsibility to take action.
This speaker series is in support of addressing one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today: the declining health of our planet. Through these talks, we hope to illuminate ways we can come together as a community to listen to and learn from one another while working toward the goal of caring for our common home—Earth—and its inhabitants. View the recordings below.
Listening to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor
Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan—the discoverer of the greenhouse effect of chlorofluorocarbons— discusses climate change from scientific and humanitarian perspectives.
Speaker: Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, UCSD Moderator: Dan Misleh, Catholic Climate Covenant
Ecospirituality: Journey into Greater Ecological Consciousness
Franciscan Friar Br. Keith explores the spiritual connection between humans and the environment through the lens of Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ call for humanity to act in response to climate change and climate justice.
Environmentalism: Responses Across Faiths
Cassandra Carmichael, executive director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, leads a panel discussion with spiritual leaders of different faiths about how their faith views the environment, their responsibility toward it, and what they see as their faith’s call to environmental action.