By John Cole ‘14MA

I returned to Notre Dame last summer to audit a favorite professor’s course on monastic theology. We studied a principle handed down from St. Augustine: 

because humanity is made in God’s image, we are capable of receiving God (“capax Dei”). Medieval texts spokedirectly to how our focus on worldly things distracts us from God and will never truly satisfy us. This “capacity for God” helped me to understand the intricate theological context of Pope Francis’ teaching in Laudato Si.

I have followed the multilateral climate negotiations for the last 18 years as a lawyer, academic, non-governmental organization-commissioned observer, and businessperson. Admittedly, this is my field; I hold a doctorate in environmental and energy policy. Like many, I was initially skeptical of the emerging climate science, but became convinced in 2001 as a result of the studies done by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

While I now accept the accuracy of climate science, I also understand the difficulty in modeling the resulting impacts. Through the scientific method, we observe increased concentrations of atmospheric carbon resulting in climate disruption, from greater variability of weather to an increase in mean global surface temperatures. Some of our greatest scientific minds have set about to convert this science into predictive models. Unfortunately, an astounding assortment of variables impact climate, which makes this task quite uncertain.

This uncertainty can be perplexing—and distracting—for even the well-educated lay observer. I advocate sidestepping the models and points of contention and focusing directly on points where scientific consensus has largely been achieved. In particular, increased concentrations of atmospheric carbon correspond with increased variability in weather: many hot places getting hotter, cold places getting colder, wet places getting wetter, dry places getting dryer, and the increased incidence of stronger, more violent storms.

In this context, Pope Francis’ call for environmental stewardship hits its mark. The earth is our home, a habitat God created for us. In light of this science, how do we analyze moving geologically sequestered carbon into our atmosphere to fuel our economies? How do we react, as Catholics and environmental stewards, to the potential that the first to suffer will be the poor, the marginalized, and the helpless, especially in the context of our duties to the poor? How do we respond to arguments made in favor of the status quo by entrenched interests, or those who seek to impede the message of environmental stewardship solely to advance our fixation on consumption?

The notion of capax Dei provides a roadmap here by juxtaposing environmental stewardship with our disordered desire toward worldly goods. We are created with the capacity to enjoy God, who is infinitely and inexhaustibly good, and only God will truly satisfy our desire for what is good. Our disordered pursuit of worldly goods only leaves us ever more unsatisfied. The parables of the Prodigal Son and the Unmerciful Servant, and the stories of the Israelites complaining in the desert bring this into sharp relief from a Scriptural perspective. Foolishness and ingratitude impede us from seeing and protecting God’s gifts, including our habitat.

Environmental stewardship in the climate area should not require abandonment of all economic growth targets. Rather, we should acknowledge that our pursuit of economic growth must also encompass preservation of our habitat for all people, including future generations, by mitigating our carbon emissions. From a government policy perspective, this calls for real leadership regarding energy generation, energy efficiency, and transport strategies that effectively mitigate carbon emissions.

On a personal level, Pope Francis calls us to embrace a way of life that looks smaller on the outside, but is much more expansive on the inside, and this call aligns precisely with capax Dei. Our life’s goal is not the unending pursuit of worldly consumption, but pursuit of our relationship with God, including through prayer, the sacraments, our families and communities, and environmental stewardship that shows gratitude to God for the gift of creation.

In the words of G.K. Chesterton, “the test of all happiness is gratitude.”