On May 25, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” warning about the growing influence of artificial intelligence. He informs us that AI requires an increasing use of “energy and water, significantly influencing carbon dioxide emissions, and place(s) heavy demands on natural resources.” Therefore, he cautions AI industries to “develop more sustainable technological solutions that reduce environmental impact and help protect our common home.”
Leo’s attention to AI could not have come at a better time. Communities all over the nation and the world are fighting against companies, like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, whose data centers have been cited for environmental pollution and excessive water consumption. It is a fight I know all too well.
Javian Baker
In my home state of Louisiana, Black and white communities alike are fighting to protect themselves from the advances of wealthy industrial companies. Zuckerberg’s AI data center, which will be built in Holly Ridge, La., plans to use more than 23 million gallons of water a day. The construction of the site already is affecting more than 17,000 residents in the area, negatively changing their air quality, threatening their access to power and contaminating their water supply.
For months, residents have been raising concerns about breathing issues and the brown discoloration of their drinking water. But the cries of the people seem to be falling on deaf ears. With one of the largest Catholic populations in the South, Louisiana politicians should heed the words of Pope Leo and stop this injustice.
“With one of the largest Catholic populations in the South, Louisiana politicians should heed the words of Pope Leo and stop this injustice.”
State and local politicians are treating a human health crisis as partisan ideology rather than a cause of corporate responsibility. The Republican-run state denounces any allegations or findings of environmental injustice and climate change, particularly the governor, Jeff Landry, who considers climate change a “hoax.” The Louisiana governor also filed and won a lawsuit that inhibits the use of the Civil Rights Act as grounds for legal action against “environmental racism.”
And yet, the evidence is clear. The tentacles of industrial AI are connected to the ongoing fight against “Cancer Alley,” where communities along an 85-mile stretch from Baton Rouge to New Orleans are experiencing health challenges from petrochemical companies polluting the air, soil and water.
While contaminated water and polluted air slowly erode the health and quality of life of everyday people, the pollution continues to benefit the wealthy. Many of these corporations responsible for this rampant pollution are owned by elites who do not live in these harmful conditions. And their companies negatively impact the health and well-being of surrounding communities, all while receiving hefty tax cuts. Their tax dollars could benefit a state like Louisiana, which U.S. News rated as 50th nationally in economy, 50th in crime and corrections, 46th in opportunity, 44th in health care and 46th in fiscal stability.
Pope Leo cuts to the heart of this inequality in his encyclical. He calls for moral accountability at a time when “efficacy, control and profit” seem to outweigh the worries, anxieties and cries of everyday people. And he does not shy away from environmental concerns. He names the Earth’s goods as soil, water, air and other natural resources that should be used for the good of all humanity.
His message is clear: We stand at the crossroads of two choices, “either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.”
The Tower of Babel hints at the disunity of public discourse. Ideological differences form wedges between basic human decency and communication. The result, he states, is the sacrifice of the politically weak, injustice and, above all, dehumanization.
Leo goes on to offer an alternative: to “work together in the presence of God to rebuild the walls of fraternal coexistence.” Building the City of God is a call to harmony, not uniformity. It is a call to shared responsibility and respectful communication.
“The same land used to operate plantations is the very land used by industrial companies.”
These are not novel concepts but are at the heart of the Christian faith. And Louisiana politicians could put his wisdom into action by adopting the following recommendations of the Environmental Protection Agency:
- Update the Clean Air Act to lower emissions limits
- Mandate the installation of publicly available fenceline monitoring
- Conduct assessments of combined industrial polluters in a given area, completed by a state regulator like the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
- Enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, allowing for claims to be filed against environmental racism
Indeed, the charge of environmental racism should not be overlooked. The same land used to operate plantations is the very land used by industrial companies. To add insult to injury, the communities leading the struggle against industrial pollutants, particularly in St. John and St. James Parishes, are the descendants of those who were enslaved on that very same land.
These communities embody traditions and practices of love, care and joy. They demand the same level of dignity and respect they offer to every person they encounter. Their unwavering faith in a God of goodness, kindness and justice is the same act of godliness Pope Leo speaks about in the encyclical.
For Christians, there should be no divide between loving God and loving all humanity. As Pope Leo says, our highest calling is “to overcome our divisions and to work together — for this is the way of Jesus Christ, yesterday, today and forever.”
Javian Baker is a scholar, writer and advocate of marginalized communities and children. He writes on African American religion, politics and culture, and holds a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and a Ph.D. from Georgetown University. He is a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project in partnership with the National Black Children’s Development Institute.
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