My brothers and sisters, are you one of those who are wishing for cool weather every day in the Philippines? In the past few weeks, the drop in temperature has been noticeable, and in a country like ours, this is quite pleasing.
In North America, many places are currently covered in snow due to what is called the Polar Vortex —a wide expanse of swirling cold air—that is parked in polar regions. There are places with temperatures dropping below zero degrees Celsius. Water in lakes and rivers turned to ice, trains could not run on ice-covered tracks, and many roads were closed because of the formation of ice taller than the average human. There are people from America posting pictures and videos showing the severe cold weather. Some of them even tried to use a frozen banana for a hammer, or showed a pair of frozen pants standing on its own. Unfortunately, no less than 20 people have perished because of the overbearing cold. Hundreds more were sent to the hospital because of frostbite. Many of these people are street dwellers, and because of the frostbite, some of them may need to have their limbs amputated.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Earth, a heat wave accompanied by drought is occurring in Australia. With the extreme heat, many animals and fish are dying. Fires easily consumed dried plants and trees, causing residents in areas to evacuate their homes to avoid the bushfires. There are street parts melting because of the heat, and some power plants bogged down because of the rising demand for electricity for air-conditioning.
If we live in different parts of the world, we are connected with the cold climate in America and the intense heat in Australia. It is natural to have different climates and weather in different countries. However, the extreme weather conditions being observed in different parts of the globe came about because we have abused nature. It’s important to understand that we are all responsible for the negative experiences that people encounter in different parts of the world. We are responsible for the people living in the streets in America, dying because of the cold. We are responsible for the deaths of many animals in Australia because of the heat. Likewise, people in those countries equally share the responsibility for the destructive super typhoons that hit the Philippines.
This is the message contained in Laudato Si, “the new appeal from Pope Francis addressed to every living person on this planet for an inclusive dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. Pope Francis has given emphasis on interconnectedness: “We as people have a connection toward each other, with other living beings, our planet, and toward God. Whatever is causing this disease to what we are connected to also negatively affects us. Therefore, if we continue contributing to nature’s destruction, we injure other people and the living beings in this world.
My brothers and sisters, although the pleasant weather we are experiencing is good for us, we must remember our fellowmen and other living beings that are in danger because of climate change. We may not be able to save our planet on our own, but the government must take even the smallest step to help reduce global warming, which will have catastrophic effects if left unchecked.”
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