Earth Day: Pope Francis urges responsibility for our common home

By Lisa Zengarini

As the world has marked it Earth Day On Monday, April 22, Pope Francis reiterated his urgent call for bold action for our common home and for world peace.

The International Day was established in 1970 to raise awareness of the critical environmental challenges facing our planet and mobilize efforts to respond to them.

This celebration provides an opportunity for individuals, communities, organizations and governments to come together and engage in activities to repair and heal ecosystems, combat climate change and preserve biodiversity in order to preserve the planet for future generations.

The world is not doing enough

In a post on his social media platform .

He also discussed the link between current environmental problems and the many conflicts raging around the world.

“Our generation has bequeathed much wealth, but we have failed to protect the planet and we are not safeguarding peace. We are called to become artisans and guardians of our common home, the Earth which is “falling into ruin”.

Pope's message echoes his 2015 words Encyclical Laudato si» about protecting our common home and calling on individuals, communities and governments to care for nature.

Earth Day 2024 for a plastic-free world

Each year, Earth Day has a specific theme to focus global attention on pressing environmental issues. Under the banner “Planet against plastics”, this 54th This edition focuses on plastic pollution and the urgent need to reduce its use and production.

Beyond its environmental implications, the proliferation of plastics poses a significant threat to human health, similar to the challenges posed by climate change.

400 million tonnes of plastic produced each year

Humans produce more than 400 million tons of plastic each year, roughly the weight of all the humans on the planet.

Only 9% is recycled and around 22% of the world's plastic waste is uncollected, improperly disposed of or ends up in litter.

As plastics break down into microplastics, they release toxic chemicals into ecosystems, contaminating oceans (where more than a million tons end up each year), food and water sources, and endangering all forms of life.

Adverse effects on the environment and human health

This year's campaign therefore prioritizes raising awareness of these harmful effects. It calls for increased research into the health implications of plastic exposure and advocates for transparency in sharing findings with the public.

The campaign's immediate goal is to rapidly eliminate single-use plastics by 2030 and enshrine this commitment in the United Nations Plastic Pollution Treaty by 2024, ensuring global cooperation to resolve this urgent problem.

The longer-term goal is to achieve a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040 to preserve human and environmental health. To this end, the campaign also highlights the importance of investing in innovative technologies and materials to pave the way to a plastic-free world.