By Pedro Walpole,S.J.

ENVIRONMENTAL concerns continue to draw Jesuits in the Asian region to find ways to better understand, engage, and respond to the social and ecological challenges.

There are many among the Jesuits and those who work with them who have contributed much to addressing the environmental concerns of our times, whether through research institutes, university education or social centers. At this stage, there is a major review and fundamental awareness of the need to care for creation. Exploitation or domination of creation has not been the major attitude of relating with creation. However today the Jesuits are emphasizing that reconciliation with creation, as with social justice, is fundamental to being responsible people of faith in the world. And this affects all Jesuits and all Jesuit institutions.

A focal point of ecological engagement is the Mekong River that traverses six countries and where over 60 million people depend for their food, water, transport, and incorporate their livelihoods and many aspects of their daily lives.

In selecting the Mekong region and the complexity of the management its people and resources require, Jesuits from many countries undertook an experiential workshop this month in Kompong Cham City in Cambodia that provided occasion to better understand the complexity of their work with the environment, from the perspective of Reconciliation with Creation.

The basic dynamic of reconciliation with creation is to start with gratitude for life and to experience something of this environment and life of the people, rather than immediately with the issues, to seek to learn first and not to lead, and to collaborate with those who are already engaged.

Mekong, like many rivers in Asia, swells with the onset of the southwest monsoon and the typhoons of the Pacific. The natural overflow onto the floodplains along the Mekong and Ton Le Sap are expected annually, reaching a peak in September. In visits to the local communities, people shared that there has been no major rise in the waters in the last 10 years and the flooding is not occurring as experienced in the past.

This reduced flooding is being attributed to the dams built, mostly in the upper course of the river in China; on the other hand China says it is the noted changes in weather during this period. This is under scientific review at present and China is being asked to share more of their data and information. There are many concerns with the dams both in Lao RPD (Xayaburi Dam) and Cambodia (Sambor Dam), which have major financial backing and are seen as essential to national development.

The Mekong is also a focal point for development in the region for the Asian Development Bank in terms of hydropower and infrastructure support. The present estimate of 10,000-megawatt production is envisaged to reach 70,000MW or more in the years ahead. This is where much of the ecological and social questions arise.

This greater emergence of transboundary management of responses is encouraging greater discussions in identifying who plays what role in the changing river. The Mekong discussions also engender the need to look at the bigger picture and to go beyond each country’s boundaries in developing the social and political systems that can best respond to human development. The Mekong River Commission is the most evident organization in this, and many other countries involved in transboundary river management are seeking to learn the responsibilities of such politically critical institutions.

There are very complex political relationships involved. There are also various economic strategies and development designs being drawn up. But beyond national projections for energy requirements, the basic needs of people living in this area and the security of their livelihoods must be integrated and made sustainable.

This is meeting in Mekong is part of the global engagement that Jesuits seek in understanding the reconciliation with creation needed.