Drawing Upon Our Roots and Charism to Address Climate Change and Build Bridges of Dialogue in Addressing Human Rights and Achieving an Integral Ecology

Although sustainability and human rights are interconnected expressions of Catholic social teaching, the fields and praxis have developed independently. Human rights and other justice issues are rooted in the humanities and social sciences. The idea of sustainability has roots in the humanities and social sciences, but also in natural science and engineering. While sustainability research by scientists and engineers receives support, it is lacking for consideration of human rights and justice concerns, largely because these are viewed as advocacy. More recently, the intersection of these areas, particularly in the examination of the impacts of global climate change, has provided an opportunity for unification, especially when human stories lend empathy to observations, provide motivation to action, and allow technical expertise to help alleviate injustice. Faith-based organizations are positioned to be bridge-builders by inviting the expertise of environmental scientists in educational programs. Pope Francis’ Laudato Si\u27 received warm reception by numerous scientific organizations, and its call for all fields to work towards an integral ecology through dialogue is an impetus for interconnection. The longstanding tradition of Catholic institutions in addressing social concerns and the integration inherent in Catholic intellectual tradition invite opportunities for the integration of divergent fields of knowledge in the practices of sustainability and human rights. As a Catholic and Marianist institution, the University of Dayton draws on its founding charism by seeing all as members of one global family and by extending the concept of community from people to ecosystems. We offer opportunities to engage in dialogues among expert panelists, a diverse campus, and the local community to explore justice issues like hunger, environmental racism, and peace. Applying the spiritualities, vision, and behavior of the founders of our religious institutions to today’s needs can help us to educate, act, and advocate for an integral ecological future together

Human Rights, Environmental Justice, Social Justice, Faith Values and Ethics: Building Stronger Partnerships for the Common Good by Understanding the Differences

Partnerships between human rights practitioners, local communities, scientists, engineers, and health professionals have shown potential to address deeply rooted, systemic human rights concerns. These collaborations are essential for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and for engaging the perspectives and expertise of all constituents. However, even when the individuals in these partnerships or the organizations they represent have common goals, their motivations, analyses, and solutions often come from different perspectives. Members of good will can inadvertently alienate one another when attempting to work together. The fields of human rights, social justice, environmental justice, and ethics have each developed their own language, frameworks, and movements independent of each other. There are many synergies, but also important differences such as in the approaches, level at which they are applied (from the individual or local to global) and the resources available. Successful partnership building will also be enhanced by respecting the influences of culture (including faith communities) and other social movements. In order to work together more effectively and to have the impacts we want to see on both human rights and sustainability, we must understand the similarities and distinctions between the movements and their applications to achieve global goals. In this panel we will explore the histories of these movements as they apply to the complementarity and potential for collaboration at the intersection of human rights and environmental sustainability. Four panelists will share perspectives, success stories, challenges and hopes from each of their vantages. a) Human Rights & Science/Engineering (Theresa Harris - AAAS) b) Environmental Justice/SDGs, Ecologists and Faith Communities (Leanne Jablonski - Ecological Society of America & UD HSI) c) Union of Concerned Scientists - Community Partnerships/practitioners with Scientists on climate justice/sustainability issues (Melissa Varga, Union of Concerned Scientists) d) Engineering and Technology: Challenges from International Practice (Malcolm Daniels, ETHOS Center, University of Dayton

Reproductive response to elevated CO2 : the roles of vegetative carbon storage, nitrogen and seed traits

This study focused on the reproductive response to elevated CO2 of plants possessing below-ground storage. I tested the hypotheses that under elevated CO2: (1) Plants with greater non-foliar storage capacity win show more reproductive response and (2) The altered foliar physiology of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) use will cause increases in seed number and quality. Carbon dioxide treatments of High (650 muL L-1) and Ambient (360 muL L-1) were used in a controlled environment, simulated growing season, and in a natural pasture community. Hypothesis 1 was tested experimentally using four Raphanus varieties that differed in hypocotyl and leaf sizes. N fertilization and harvest times were used to obtain a range of root:shoot ratios. Enhancements in vegetative leaf area rather than the hypocotyl predicted reproductive responsiveness to CO 2. However, after three years of CO2 exposure in the pasture, hypocotyl-storing Taraxacum officinale responded strongly in vegetative biomass which correlated with inflorescence size and number. Fitness was enhanced four-fold, while the leaf-storing Plantago major produced more ramets and had only a two-fold fitness increase. Hypothesis 2 was tested by examining the C and N physiology underlying the vegetative organs and seeds of the pasture plants. Under elevated CO2, photosynthesis increased two-fold and senescence was delayed. Total plant C:N ratio did not differ, suggesting N acquisition increased. N similarly limited seed number in all cases suggesting an unchanged Physiology of N use in reproduction. While morphology constrained total biomass response, provisioning to seeds increased as shown by higher seed mass and number and decreased variability in number and mass. In all cases, leaf mass increase under high CO2 corresponded with fitness increase. Phenology constrained response to CO 2 as there was no plasticity in flowering day in Raphanus and Plantago, while there were flowering delays but greater seed maturation rate in Ta

Strengthening partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals: engaging faith-based organizations and scientists in youth climate change learning and action

Abstract Collaborations with and among faith-based organizations (FBOs), natural scientists, development organizations, and youth offer untapped potential for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). FBOs are important cultural partners for achieving the SDGs globally in numbers of adherents (80% of humanity) and resources, owning 8% of habitable land, half the world’s schools, and many health and community development services; they provide assets for formal and informal education, forming youth leaders, and social justice action. Natural scientists are also critical to SDG achievement because the environmental components in many goals require specialized skills and background. We focus on Climate Action (SDG 13) as it links to other SDGs and because climate justice directly connects to human development - a major area of FBO work, and engages scientist outreach and youth action. We surveyed The UN Environmental Program (UNEP) Faith for Action and other major FBO networking initiatives that were formed to address the SDGs as well as literature covering other interfaces and partnerships between religion, sustainability, youth, SDGs, science, climate change, and education. We examined curriculum and guidebooks to identify best practices and identified gaps in partnership development. The Faith Pavilion and multifaith statements at COP28 and the international Catholic movements emerging from the SDGs-concurrent 2015 Laudato Si' encyclical and its follow-up 2023 Laudate Deum are exemplary in mobilizing educators, institutions, and organizations to integrate SDGs into activities through a faith and particular mission lens. International development FBOs and diverse religious groups worldwide support climate adaptation and mitigation by connecting their central mission to environmental care. Today’s youth are unprecedented in number, sense of urgency, experience of climate anxiety and grief, and engaged sustainability actions. Yet, youth, FBOs and scientists are often not included in SDGs work. We recommend developing partnership skills, cultural and religious literacy materials, programs, and toolkits for secular groups and scientists partnering with FBOs, and networking opportunities to form partnerships. Connecting FBOs, including youth organizations, to larger youth climate movements and other collaborative climate networks, and creating climate action materials connecting to faith backgrounds of particular youth, will better equip potential partners for achieving the SDGs

Connecting the Laudato Si Action Platform with UD’s Common Good Framework

Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ - on the Care for our Common Home (LS) is the first extensive Papal document focused on the environment. In May 2021, the Vatican announced a Laudato Si Action Platform (LSAP), a seven-year process calling universities and six other sectors to action on seven LS goals that integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals. UD was invited to join the international universities network working team. This session is led by students, staff, and faculty members of UD’s LSAP working group. We’ll give an overview of the LSAP vision, elements, and process and its connections with the UD mission, UD\u27s Marianist identity, and the Vatican’s Global Education Compact. We’ll also explore connections the LSAP initiative is creating on campus and with other universities globally. Finally, we’ll explore with you the ways the LSAP can engage all facets of campus life and promote student participation in addressing the urgent climate crisis

Laudato Si, Environmental Justice, and Care for Our Community

Moderator: Sister Leanne Jablonski, University of Dayton Presentations: On Care for Our Common Home: Laudato Si Platform (Rebecca Potter, University of Dayton) Social Ecology and Lawyering in the Anthropocene (Matthew Currie, Advocates for Basic Legal Equality; Kumar Jensen, City of Evanston, Illinois) Dayton Sustainability Plan and Engagement with Climate Justice and Resilience (Margaret A. Maloney, City of Dayton, Ohio) Fratelli Tutti: Pope Francis and the Catholic Response to Human Rights (Tiffany Hunsinger, University of Dayton) Pope Francis, Human Rights, and COVID-19 (John Sniegocki, Xavier University

Charged-particle multiplicity fluctuations in Pb–Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV

Measurements of event-by-event fluctuations of charged-particle multiplicities in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN−−−√ = 2.76 TeV using the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented in the pseudorapidity range |η|<0.8 and transverse momentum 0.2<pT<2.0 GeV/c. The amplitude of the fluctuations is expressed in terms of the variance normalized by the mean of the multiplicity distribution. The η and pT dependences of the fluctuations and their evolution with respect to collision centrality are investigated. The multiplicity fluctuations tend to decrease from peripheral to central collisions. The results are compared to those obtained from HIJING and AMPT Monte Carlo event generators as well as to experimental data at lower collision energies. Additionally, the measured multiplicity fluctuations are discussed in the context of the isothermal compressibility of the high-density strongly-interacting system formed in central Pb–Pb collisions