Editor Letter, Summer 2022
We are delighted to present the third issue of Common Home, the magazine on all things environment and sustainability from the Earth Commons at Georgetown.
A key focus of the Earth Commons this year has been intergenerational justice, so our pages examine how environmental issues shape the children of today and tomorrow. From the Georgetown Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, Emily Prest and Dr. Joan Lombardi deftly cast light on the acute health burden children bear, and call for political action on their behalf. Casting our gaze to expectant parents, playwright Melissa-Kelly Franklin’s perspective on family planning in the age of climate change grants us another angle to view intergenerational justice, contextualized by our editor Sadie Morris. In our coverage of Voices of the Environment, a program put on by the Earth Commons, we also listen to youth perspectives shared at COAL + ICE this spring at the Kennedy Center.
During the Spring semester, the Earth Commons held an art showcase to complement our work on intergenerational justice. We share art from the six awardees; and a special congratulations to Isabella Callagy and Victoria Smith for first place in the traditional and freeform categories, respectively.
So too, do we consider justice across species. What are the legal rights of an animal or tree? Does nature itself deserve recourse when devastated by oil companies? With Dr. Hope Babcock’s guidance, we delve into the legal status of nature and reflect on its importance in a world increasingly hostile to nature.
We examine a broad selection of transnational environmental concerns, from Elsa Barron’s work on the security concerns posed by climate-conflict in Syria, Ethiopia, and Ukraine; to climate refugees fleeing increasingly severe natural disasters. We dive deep into a multidisciplinary analysis of the energy transition with David Bailey, who offers a thorough telling of the war in Ukraine and its consequences in the global energy landscape.
We would also like to extend our utmost gratitude to Georgetown faculty, Dr. Christopher Pyke, Dr. John McNeill, as well as Jan Menafee at the Red House at Georgetown, who all contributed greatly to articles in this issue.
Sincerely,
The Common Home Editorial Board
Marion Cassidy, Sadie Morris, Maya Snyder, Mark Agard, and Alannah Nathan
Undergraduates at Georgetown University