By Alejandro T. Flores, Jr.
A pleasant day to you all!
Today, we commemorate the fifth year of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical the Laudato Si – an urgent call for each one of us to care for our common home.
We live in such precarious times as we have seen how our actions, or lack thereof – has shaped the world we live in today. This – is our notion of ‘normal’.
Biodiversity loss from habitat conversion, illegal wildlife trade, lack of climate action, and environmental degradation – all causing the deadliest calamities and pandemics in history – are just some of the perils facing the planet and its people today.
Everything is connected. This is the prime law of ecology and what Laudato Si teaches us. This principle of interdependence, however, should oblige us to think beyond ourselves, to refuse to return to the kind of ‘normal’ that degrades our environment and our society, and to act towards a just and sustainable future.
On behalf of the Haribon Foundation, we express our solidarity with the call of Laudato Si in addressing climate emergency and in building a better world together.
Remember: our planet’s health is our health.