Brothers and sisters, the conflagration occurring in the Amazon forests in South America is indeed worrisome, particularly in parts of Brazil, which is home to over 3 million species of animals and plants. The lives of over a million indigenous peoples there are also in danger. This is one great tragedy that is not only affecting Brazil but also the entire planet. The Amazon rainforests are the “lungs of the Earth,” because it’s where 20 percent of the oxygen in the planet comes from. It also slows the effect of global warming, which causes climate change.
According to the Brazil National Institute for Space Research, over 70,000 cases of fires from January to June this year have occurred in parts of the Amazon within the territories of the country. Scientists and indigenous groups even added that these were not simple forest fires that occurred in times of drought. The wide deforestation that paves the way for destructive businesses like logging, mining, and cattle ranching are considered causes of fires in the Amazon, and it is said that these businesses have permission from the Brazilian government. President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration denied these allegations, and even said that nongovernment organizations and critics intentionally caused the fires in order to ruin the president’s image to other countries.
In the World Wildlife Fund or WWF’s forecast, if the destruction of the Amazon rainforests continues, 27 percent of these rainforests will ultimately lose all of the trees by the year 2030. The effects of this to the world are not a joke as they affect the current generation and the future of mankind. Parallel to the loss of trees, plants, and animals in that area of the world is the loss of balance in nature.
It is said in the Catholic social teaching Centesimus Annus by Pope John Paul II, God gave the world to man in order for all to live without disregard and prejudice. This is where the social principles of the Church are rooted regarding the universal destination of earthly goods. It cannot be that only a few will benefit from the Earth’s resources, while many are denied the opportunity to prosper from these blessings given by God. The book of Proverbs 22:2 said: “Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.”
It is also unacceptable that a few are destroying worldly treasures for their own interests without regard to its effects, not only in nature, but also in our fellowmen. The destruction of nature, regardless of how they say it is for development, is the destruction of our common home, as Pope Francis said in his encyclical Laudato Si’. The Saint Pope compared our planet to a sobbing brother—crying because of cruelty and abuse. We burn his forests (like what is happening in the Amazon now). We break down his mountains without care and regard for its effects in the coming generations. If we will not take action to preserve and care for nature now, there will come a time when we ourselves would lose our homes, food, and even our lives.
Brothers and sisters, God gave us the world as a blessing of creation, and we have no right to violate this for the sake of future generations. Which is why being far away from the Amazon is not an excuse for us not to know the situation there because this is where the future of all creation is at stake.
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