The Pope Issues an Urgent Call for Actions to Preserve and Optimize the Environment in Which We Live and the Quality of Life of the Population
In the Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’—‘Praise Be to You’—the Pope denounces the weakness of the international political response and economic interests when addressing the defense of the environment, and calls for a “bold cultural revolution” to save the ecosystem.
His critical analysis, his call for honesty, and his demand for action complete his proclamation with impeccable content that goes beyond a mere awakening of consciousness; instead, it identifies the causes and points the way forward to resolve them.
He urgently exhorts a new dialogue on the way we are constructing the future of the planet, emphasizing the fact that we need a conversation that unites us all, and arguing that “the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and impact us all.” He highlighted that the global ecological movement has traveled a long and rich path, succeeding in establishing numerous citizen groups that helped raise awareness, although he also stressed that the path ahead is very long.
Below, we will summarize some of the most important aspects of the various environmental issues, as their significance constitutes the vital foundation for the preservation of the environment in which we live, and it is vital to take them into account beforehand for any daily, professional, individual, or collective action.
WASTE
Consideration must be given to the pollution produced by waste, including hazardous waste present in various environments. Hundreds of millions of tons of waste are produced per year, much of which is not biodegradable, such as household and commercial waste, demolition waste, clinical, electronic, and industrial waste, and highly toxic and radioactive waste.
These problems are closely linked to the “throwaway culture,” which affects both excluded human beings and things that quickly turn into trash; for instance, most of the paper produced is wasted and not recycled.
On the other hand, at the end of the production and consumption cycle, the industrial system has not yet developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and refuse. A circular model of production has not yet been successfully adopted to ensure resources for all and for future generations, which implies limiting the use of non-renewable resources to the maximum extent, moderating consumption, maximizing efficiency of utilization, reusing, and recycling. Addressing this issue would be a way to counteract the “throwaway culture,” which ends up affecting the entire planet; for although daily efforts are made, the reality is that progress in this regard is still very scarce.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Humanity is called to become aware of the need to make changes in lifestyles, production, and consumption to combat global warming or, at least, the human causes that produce or accentuate it. It is true that there are other factors—such as volcanism, variations in the Earth’s orbit and axis, or the solar cycle—but numerous scientific studies indicate that most of the global warming in recent decades is due to the high concentration of greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen oxides, among others—emitted mainly as a result of human activity.
If this trend continues, the century in which we live could witness unprecedented climate changes and destruction of ecosystems, with grave consequences for the global population. The rise in sea levels, for example, can create situations of extreme gravity, considering that one-fourth of the world’s population lives by the sea or very close to it, and most megacities or cosmopolitan cities are located in coastal areas.
Many symptoms indicate that these effects could worsen if we continue with current models of production and consumption. Therefore, it has become urgent and imperative to develop policies so that in the coming years the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases is drastically reduced; for example, by replacing the use of fossil fuels and developing renewable energy sources—a development that many countries, through individual efforts or specific alliances, have already begun to undertake, although a collective effort must be advocated for.
WATER
Groundwater in many places is threatened by the pollution produced by certain extractive, agricultural, and industrial activities, especially in countries where there is insufficient regulation and/or controls. This is due both to factory discharges as well as detergents and chemical products used by the population in many parts of the world, which continue to pour into rivers, lakes, and seas.
While the quality of available water constantly deteriorates, in some places there is a growing trend to privatize this scarce resource, turning it into a commodity regulated by market laws. In reality, access to safe drinking water is a basic, fundamental, and universal human right, because it determines the survival of individuals, and is therefore a condition for the exercise of other human rights.
BIODIVERSITY
When analyzing the environmental impact of any venture, attention is usually paid to the effects on soil, water, and air, but a careful study of the impact on biodiversity is not always included, as if the loss of certain species or animal or plant groups were something of little relevance or unrelated to this very biodiversity. Highways, new crops, fences, reservoirs, and other constructions take possession of habitats without considering natural capital, fragmenting them in such a way that animal populations can no longer migrate or move freely, thereby placing some species at risk of extinction.
On the other hand, entering tropical and subtropical seas, we find coral reefs, which are equivalent to the great rainforests of the earth, because they host approximately one million species, including fish, crabs, mollusks, sponges, and algae, among others. At present, many of the world’s coral reefs are barren or in a continuous state of decline. This phenomenon is largely due to pollution reaching the sea as a result of deforestation, agricultural monocultures, industrial discharges, and destructive fishing methods, especially those using cyanide and dynamite.
DETERIORIORATION IN THE QUALITY OF HUMAN LIFE
One notes, for example, the disproportionate and disorderly growth of many cities that have become unhealthy to live in, due not only to pollution caused by toxic emissions, but also to urban chaos, transportation problems, and visual and noise pollution. Many cities are large, inefficient structures that waste excessive energy and water. There are certain areas that, despite being recently built, are congested and disorderly, lacking sufficient green spaces. It is not fitting for inhabitants of this planet to live increasingly inundated by cement, asphalt, glass, and metals, deprived of physical contact with nature.
When a figure of such magnitude and relevance as the Pope—in this case, Francis—takes the initiative from the highest leadership governing the world by appealing to Faith and Belief, and issues a worldwide call through the Encyclical, it means that the situation is more serious than can be understood and perceived, and that this severity may eventually worsen. Therefore, each of us, individually and collectively, must safeguard, act, promote, and raise awareness for the care of the environment in which we live, and for preserving the quality of life of the current population and future generations, if we wish for our planet to continue existing.
From our daily and professional endeavors, we promote development projects and actions with a high degree, if not the highest degree, of commitment to environmental care, so that every intervention—whether tourism, industrial, and/or commercial—in the scenarios of the Dominican Republic can truly and concretely protect the rich biodiversity that the country possesses.
If each of us makes these efforts individually, sooner or later they will transform into collective efforts that help ensure the current situation we live in not only does not worsen, but progressively diminishes. There is a long way to go, to resolve, to change mindsets, and to educate. This will only happen through ourselves.
