An urgent call to safeguard the world we inhabit. 

"…with the passage of time, I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing…” Pope Francis (LD 2)

Dear friends:

At the last Assembly in Assisi we adopted, among others, a resolution to work to correct the current global food crisis by promoting responsible consumption and reducing food waste. The resolution itself expresses that WUCWO women should engage in the urgent call to action enunciated in the Encyclical Laudato si' in relation to environmental and climate change issues, promoting ecological conversion.

First of all, I congratulate the organisations that are already working hard on this resolution and invite them to communicate to us, through the Secretariat, what they have done, including photographs. By doing so, in addition to sharing their good practices with other WUCWO women around the world, they will be eligible to have their experience published in "Vatican News", the official news portal of the Holy See.

It has now been 8 years since Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter Laudato si' was published and, sadly, as we can all see, environmental degradation is growing with regrettable consequences. Climate change is damaging the lives of thousands and thousands of people, especially the most vulnerable. The Holy Father's concern is such that on 4^th October he published the Apostolic Exhortation: Laudate Deum. We can clearly see that the resolution adopted in Assisi coincides with his concern: "with the passage of time, I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point […] it is indubitable that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives and families of many persons. We will feel its effects in the areas of healthcare, sources of employment, access to resources, housing, forced migrations, etc."(LD 2). "Climate change is one of the principal challenges facing society and the global community. (LD 3).

I am particularly hurt by the part where the Holy Father tells us: "In an attempt to simplify reality, there are those who would place responsibility on the poor, since they have many children, and even attempt to resolve the problem by mutilating women in less developed countries. As usual, it would seem that everything is the fault of the poor. Yet the reality is that a low, richer percentage of the planet contaminates more than the poorest 50% of the total world population, and that per capita emissions of the richer countries are much greater than those of the poorer ones. [6] How can we forget that Africa, home to more than half of the world’s poorest people, is responsible for a minimal portion of historic emissions? (LD 9)?

The Pope alerts us of how global warming is growing to alarming proportions, creating extreme weather conditions and more and more natural disasters. He points out that the international community must urgently take more immediate and decisive action to address this climate crisis that threatens all humanity. States and the international community must now develop policies and legal frameworks whose non-compliance might bring real and effective sanctions. In this context, His Holiness has decided to participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the so-called COP28 (Conference of the Parties) which will take place from 30 November to 12 December in Dubai, United Arab Emirates*. This decision marks the first time a Pope will attend a UN climate summit since its inception in 1995. He asks us to exert "a healthy “pressure”, since every family ought to realize that the future of their children is at stake". (LD 58)

A few days ago, also in Dubai, the World Faith Summit brought together some 30 leaders of different religions who signed a joint declaration addressed to the delegates of the upcoming COP28. It urges world leaders to act to protect the planet. This was indeed an opportunity to promote unity among different faiths for a common goal.

*The signatory countries to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meet every year at the Conference of the Parties (COP), the highest decision-making body.

What can WUCWO women do

We in WUCWO have a lot to do. Real and true change can only be achieved through a change in the mentality of each and every one of us. I invite you to:

• Strengthen, in your organisations and communities, the work to raise awareness among people, organisations and government bodies of what we are really doing to our planet.
• According to your specific circumstances and possibilities, promote good practices that lead to the responsible use of natural resources and care for the common home.
• Support with your work, prayers and resources, the projects of the World Women's Observatory (WWO) that seek to listen, make visible and transform the lives of thousands and thousands of women who, victims of the effects of climate change, have been left alone because their husbands or children have migrated in search of better livelihood opportunities or who have been forced to migrate, often with their children, risking their own safety and personal integrity and that of their children.
• Speak out to press upon your governments to take more effective actions to stop global warming, including the approval of effective policies and regulations at the upcoming COP28. 

• Networking with other religious and civil society organisations of goodwill to enhance all of the above and achieve greater impact.
• Be adequately trained in order to effectively face these great challenges. I recommend, among other things, to visit the website of the Laudato Si Action Platform, https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/ to learn about all the initiatives that are being carried out and, of course, to read and study the new Apostolic Exhortation: Laudate Deum, which you can find on the Vatican website.
• Finally, what we must never miss, the most important thing: to pray. Let us pray, among other things, so that the COP28 achieve the objectives that are indispensable to protect the Common Home that the Lord has given us.

I end with one of the paragraphs of the beautiful prayer with which the Holy Father concludes Laudato si’. I invite you to pray it every day, especially during the upcoming climate summit.

God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak,
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
Amen.

Mónica Santamarina

WUCWO President General