In Manchán Magans’ book “99 words for rain (and only one for sun)” he effortlessly evoked the prevailing weather system in Ireland. Rain is one of Irelands defining features and it is responsible for our description as the Emerald Isle. All this to say that we are used to rain in Ireland – but not… Read more »

Colm Fahy was part of the Jesuits for Climate Justice campaign at COP 30 in Brazil. He was impressed by the ethos and commitment of the Irish delegation he met there.

The “veto culture” is often motivated by the desire to seek an easy payout. There is something fundamentally tawdry about this and we should not be ashamed to comment on it. An attitude prevails that if you can extract a little compensation bundle from the government, you would be a fool not to take it.

The turning of the year prompts us to look back and look forward. In JCFJ in 2025 we were delighted to deliver a special issue of Working Notes dedicated to marking the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ groundbreaking Laudato Si’ and to follow that up with an issue focusing on the ethical and policy dimensions… Read more »

COP30 came to a close two weeks ago, and as usual, there are mixed feelings on whether or not it  serves the purpose it intends to. This year, we had the privilege of hearing about COP from the ground from Filipe Martin SJ (JESC), as well as receiving daily updates from our research fellow, Colm… Read more »

There are many ways of making the connection between environmentalism and Jesus. An important one, I believe, is his humility.

Naming the Assumptions Let us start by stating two common assumptions: The first position used to be extended often by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens and their ilk. I have heard it myself: that religion is a sort of psychological crutch for people who can’t quite cope. While it seems like it might have some… Read more »

Once upon a time, long ago, I found myself sitting in a hotel bar having coffee with a prominent writer who self consciously presents themselves as a defender of the best of conservative political theory. The conversation flowed pretty naturally. I love to talk about ideas, especially with people who come at things differently from… Read more »

In October 2022, two young people from the environmental activist group, Just Stop Oil, walked into the National Gallery in London carrying tins of soup. They opened one tin and hurled it over the glass protecting Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting Sunflowers. The painting itself was unharmed. The seventeenth-century Italian frame was splashed. It needed some… Read more »

If you do a search for the word ‘local’ in Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ letter on the care of our common home, you will discover that the document is peppered with references to all sorts of local concerns, actors and solutions.