Jacob Hembrom SJ
Catholic Social teachings stress the need for caring for the creation. Concern for the environment, God’s gift, has become a significant social issue during the last 50 years. International Mother Earth day began in 1970. It is celebrated on April 22 each year by over a billion people in 190 countries.
This day will continue to invite us to focus on the environmental challenges of our time and on the power of people joining together to create change from the grassroots and upwards. For more than 45 years there has been a growing momentum to involve more people and diverse communities and groups in advocating environmental justice.
Environmental problems can no longer be separated from the issues of health, workers’s right, poverty and human trafficking. Mother earth today is giving a call to action. The entire nature is suffering. Oceans get filled with plastics and turn more acidic. Extreme heat, wildfire, floods and record-breaking Tsunami have affected millions of people. Now we face COVID-19, a worldwide health pandemic linking it to our ecosystem.
Today, the rich have taken the upper hand to decide what to do with the nature and its resources. It is really a heartbreaking experience to witness how in front of our eyes the Rajmahal hills in Jharkhand, Eastern India are being destroyed. Firstly, valuable tress have been cut and sold. Secondly, stones and minerals are being dugout and marketed. The entire jungle and forest are being burnt in summer destroying precious herbs and medicinal plants. Once our forests and jungles were adorned with varieties of herbs, trees and plants. Today, it remains merely a fairytale. How long can we let this happen, is a genuine question I ask myself.
Let us remind ourselves more than ever in this International Mother Earth Day that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works both for people and the planet. Let us promote harmony with nature and the earth
Arrupe Tribal Cultural Centre, Bhognadih, Jharkhand, India