The environment played an indispensable role in shaping the life and spirituality of St. Ignatius. Though he proceeds chronologically in presenting his autobiography, what is remarkable in this narrative concerning the environment is that he situates all his experiences in some particular place. In some instances, he gives a detailed description of where he had a specific experience, highlighting aspects like the temperature, the road, or the river. This connection to the environment is further reflected in the Spiritual Exercises, which he wrote while in the cave of Manresa with its magnificent panoramic view of Montserrat.

In the Principle and Foundation, he suggests God created everything on the face of Earth to help
us attain the end for which we were created. He calls for a fair interaction with these created things based on how much help they contribute to our efforts to attain the purpose of our being. In the Contemplatio ad Amorem, he invites exercisers to perceive God within creation. These examples reveal a deep sense of concern and respect for the environment.

Given the gravity of the ecological crisis in recent years, the Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius has deepened its respect and concern for the environment. Environmental care (care for our common home) is one of the four Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus. With this, all Jesuits and Jesuit institutions are invited to practice concretely in caring for our common home as an integral part of the Jesuit mission. A look at the decrees in the recent General Congregations (34, 35, and 36) reveals how progressively the Society of Jesus has deepened its ecological commitments.

In the 34th General Congregation, Decree 20 treated the theme of ecology. This decree consisted of a few recommendations for more studies about the ecological crisis and how Ignatian spirituality could give a foundation for a universal response. In the 35th General Congregation, the environmental question is handled in Decree 3 more emphatically than in the 34th. Reconciliation with creation is considered one of the four apostolic responses to the call of the times, which was the call to establish right relationships.

The seriousness of the ecological crisis is recognized in this General Congregation. This decree notes that the drive to access and exploit sources of energy and other natural resources is rapidly widening the damage to Earth, air, water, and the whole environment to the point that it threatens the planet’s future. With this recognition, all Jesuits and their collaborators in universities and research centers were called to promote studies and advocacy efforts on poverty, migration, and their relation to the environment. In addition, preaching and retreats were encouraged to have aspects that lead to the deep appreciation of our connection with creation (G.C. 34, D3 #33–36).

Decree 1 of the 36th General Congregation further emphasized this need for reconciliation with creation. It stressed the connection between the environmental crisis and the social crisis of our world: Poverty, social exclusion, and marginalization are linked with environmental degradation. The multifaceted challenge of the ecological crisis calls for a multidimensional response, which for the Society of Jesus should begin with a change of personal and community lifestyles and the adoption of behavior aligned with the desire for reconciliation with nature (G.C. 36, D1 #29–30).

The move from being a 20th Decree to being a 1st Decree indicates the ecological question has become a key priority and paramount concern for the Society of Jesus. This importance is also reiterated in the number of Jesuit social centers around the world that focus on the ecological question. According to data from June 2022 collected by the Social Justice and issues with local communities to render those communities more resilient and to mitigate climate change. These social centers together formed the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network for Ecology (GIAN Ecology/Ecojesuits) for a global response. As GIAN-Ecology, they have participated in global events like the Conference of Parties (COP 26, COP 27). Jesuit presence at international environmental events goes back to 1992 at the Rio Summit, where six Jesuits working in the field of environment participated.

Since this first participation in an environmental conference, there has been continuous growth and deepening in the understanding of the ecological crisis, leading to an even more deepened Jesuit commitment to the environment. A new perspective on the ecological crisis can further strengthen this Jesuit commitment to the environment. Design, scale, waste, and data can give new insights into this question and, consequently, to unique responses. The ecological crisis is a design problem. The difficult situation of our world today is due to poor design.

From simple keyholder designs to the designs of many of our cities, states, and nations, it is evident that our current designs are unsustainable. Underlining the idea of sustainability is the idea of the possibility of balance and permanence. Unfortunately, most of our designs nowadays are not geared toward balance and permanence (Van der Ryn and Cowan, 2007). Our current capitalistic culture imposes a design that does not give room for regeneration.

We are facing the effects of poor design, and to remedy this reality we must consider redesigning our world. Another aspect that can inform our understanding of this crisis is scale. The scale is
closely linked to design. Scale is understood here as the quantity or the size of something (design, product, etc.). In this case, it will mean being more precise about the “size” of the ecological damage to an aspect of nature or experienced by a group of people. Understanding the environmental crisis as a product of the absence of limits opens new horizons to solving the crisis.

Infinite growth is impossible on a finite, scalable planet (Meadows, Randers, and Meadows, 2004). The ecological crisis is a crisis about waste. From this perspective, one can understand that all efforts to care for the environment are fundamentally waste management efforts. Today’s world is overwhelmed by garbage and the quantity of waste it generates. The enormous amount of trash from different human activities gets converted to carbon dioxide, contributing significantly to global warming.

All these realities are best understood if data about them is known. With all the above, data collection remains the sole means to grasp the profundity of the ecological crisis. Data analysis needs to become an integral part of any approach to mitigating climate change. The Jesuit commitment to the care of our common home has grown over the years. This growth has always been parallel with a more profound knowledge of the ecological crisis and its impacts.

Understanding the climate crisis from the design, scale, waste, and data perspective can contribute significantly to providing new approaches and solutions to this devastating situation. Delivering better solutions to the ecological crisis will be providing solutions to the social crisis as well, since these, as Pope Francis notes, are not separate and distinct problems, but one single crisis.

FALA VALERY NGONG, S.J., is a Jesuit graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in environmental management. He also volunteers at the Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought and the Ignatian Tradition at the University of San Francisco. He has a Master’s degree in philosophy focusing on the Philosophy of Science from Loyola University of Congo Kinshasa/DRC.

He worked in the Jesuit Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat in Rome. He has experience teaching in primary school and accompanying street children in Cameroon. He also worked in a social center in Chad. He is interested in pursuing philosophy of science, ecology and social justice research.

Suggested Readings:
Anonymous. 1995. 34th General Congregation. Rome.

2008. 35th General Congregation Decrees. Rome.

2012. “Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat (SJES) – Ecology.” Ecology and Jesuits in Communication. 21 June 2012.
www.ecojesuit.com/ecology-documents-from-the-social-justice-and-ecology-secretariat-sjes/.

2017. 36th General Congregation. Rome.

2022. “Where We Work | Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat”. 2022. www.sjesjesuits.global/about-us/where-we-work/.

Meadows, Donella H., Jørgen Randers, and Dennis L. Meadows. 2004. The Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update. White River Junction, Vt: Chelsea Green Publishing Company.

Van der Ryn, Sim, and Stuart Cowan. 2007. Ecological Design. 10th-anniversary ed. Washington, DC: Island Press.

Xavier, Jeyaraj. 2021. Jesuits Promote Justice and Reconciliation with Creation | Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat. 21 October 2021.