Pontiff urges end to loss of global ecosystems
BY MARICELA BASTIDA MURRIETA
The News
On June 21 of last year, Pope Francis crashed the climate change debate with the presentation of his Laudato Si’ encyclical in which he calls for an “ecological transformation.”
In his work, the pontiff tackles the topic of the environment and how to care for it. He doesn’t consider environmental and social issues to be two separate crises, but one complex socio-environmental crisis. He critiques the relationship between the destruction of our environment, poverty and economic exploitation.
“The earth is our common heritage, the fruits of which should benefit everyone. However, what is happening in the world we live in?” the pope asked this February in the second video he has released. He plans to release a video every month, each addressing a different topic.
Pope Francis believes the relationship between poverty and the fragility of the planet requires another way of handling the economy.
“The relationship between poverty and the fragility of the planet requires another way of managing the economy and measuring progress, conceiving a new way of living,” the pope said in his video.
The recording is 1 minute and 25 seconds long and includes images related to the environment, like mountains and plains with some scenes that show the contamination, like dirty beaches.
The video, titled ‘The Pope Video,’ was spread through social networks and although it was recorded in Spanish, the pope’s first language, it is also subtitled in 10 other languages.
The theme for February’s video was ‘Care for Creation’ and was promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
Pope Francis’ first video, which was released in January, was dedicated to dialogue between religions.
Four months ago, in front of thousands of people at the San Pedro Plaza of the Vatican, the pontiff said that we should recognize the effects of natural disasters, which are often aggravated by the lack of environmental care by humans.
On this occasion, the pope emphasized that we need to all come together to promote a global and local culture in which we reduce disasters and pay special attention to highly vulnerable populations.
On the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico on Feb. 12, the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Conabio) has invited the public to learn about the relationship expressed in the Encyclical Letter entitled “Laudato Si’” (Praise Be To You) written by the pope about the care of our Common Home and human behavior toward nature.
The digital exhibition of 20 photographs, entitled “Laudato Si’ Encyclical, caring for our common home” is a selection of images that invite reflection. Through the exhibit, the public can learn about some of the pope’s thoughts on nature and its care.
The audiovisual material generated by the Conabio is available on the Mexican Diversity Internet Portal, at www. biodiversidad.gob.mx. Along with the digital exhibition, a seven-minute video and several television spots provide insight into the issues of the papal letter, where the pope writes about human action against nature.
On Aug. 26, 2015, Dr. José Sarukhán, national coordinator of Conabio, presented the keynote speech “Resonances of the Laudato Si’ encyclical letter as viewed from science.”
In this presentation, Sarukhán said that the pope had hit the nail on a crucial issue for humanity: the environmental problems around the world, both the loss of ecosystems and climate change.
“Pope Francis’ encyclical letter is the first step in the history of humanity to propose this new way of life, but is still up to us to decide the next steps we will take,” said Sarukhán.