Climate change is no longer an abstraction. It manifests in flooded homes, prolonged power outages, toxic air, and families displaced in the aftermath of storms. West/Southwest IAF climate resilience and disaster recovery efforts are grounded in a vision articulated by Pope Francis: that care for the earth and care for people are inseparable, and that economic life must be judged by how well it serves human dignity and the common good.
Laudato Si’ names what many communities already know from experience – environmental damage falls hardest on those with the least power to avoid it. Flooding, pollution, and fragile infrastructure reflect economic systems that concentrate risk in working-class neighborhoods. Climate resilience, then, is not only about emergency response; it is about addressing the conditions that make disasters more destructive and recovery more unequal.
West/Southwest IAF affiliates organize people rooted in congregations, schools, and nonprofits to build the capacity to confront decision-makers, secure public investment, and insist on accountability. This work includes fighting for clean air, stopping public subsidies for destructive energy projects, protecting renters after floods and hurricanes, repairing homes, and building locally controlled energy systems that keep power on during increasingly severe storms.
Taken together, these efforts reflect a shared understanding of human ecology: resilient communities, dignified work, and collective responsibility for our common home. Across the region, West/Southwest IAF affiliates are translating this vision into concrete state and local impact.