By Jennifer Kryszak, Director of Strategic Planning for the Franciscan Peace Center
“I ask everyone to accompany this pilgrimage of reconciliation with the world that is our home and to help make it more beautiful, because that commitment has to do with our personal dignity and highest values. At the same time, I cannot deny that it is necessary to be honest and recognize that the most effective solutions will not come from individual efforts alone, but above all from major political decisions on the national and international level.” Francis, Laudate Deum, 69
Recently, I took a course on Nonviolence Toward Earth with Pace e Bene’s Rivera Sun and Merwyn De Mello. Over the course of several weeks, we gathered to discuss our connection and responsibility to the earth. We learned about nonviolent actions to protect the earth and human communities, including those protesting pipelines and protecting water. We were also challenged to practice nonviolence toward the earth in our own lives. Conversations about localism and voluntary simplicity urged us to reflect on our daily practices and how our society’s emphasis on possessions and growth damages the earth.
At the time of this course, I was busily preparing for the birth of my daughter and was immersed in a sea of advertisements for everything that our little one would “need.” Disturbingly, many of these “needs” were made of plastic and really were not necessary for raising a child. In “Our Ocean is Choking on Plastic,” Dr. Winnie Lau delineates the impact of plastics on the ocean and its prevalence in human life. Lau notes, “Some 11 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic every minute.” This comes from large plastic waste such as discarded plastic containers and bottles as well as microplastics that come from the clothes we wear and the tires on the vehicles we drive. What people might not realize is that this plastic is also in our bodies because of the food that we eat. Plastic is everywhere. To address this problem, Lau asserts that governments and industry need to take action now: “And although it’s clear that humanity can reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean, no one group can do it alone. Success will require cooperation between and among governments, industry, scientists, nongovernmental organizations, and consumers, as well as between businesses at all stages of the plastic design, production, sales, use, and post-use continuum. No group can sit on the sidelines expecting that the others will move toward success without support.” In particular, Lau notes that countries like the United States need to take action because of the vast amount of plastic produced here.
In Luadate Deum, Pope Francis urges humanity to alter its relationship to the earth to address climate change. Significantly, he calls us to reconciliation. Reconciliation is not a simple matter of expressing wrong-doing and moving on with life. It requires altering our behavior, changing attitudes, and assessing our values. Reconciliation should heal our relationships with God, others, and the earth. It is a sacrament of relationship, and, as we have seen, relationship is foundational for an ecospirituality that compels our care for creation. The reconciliation that Francis calls us to is one at an international level, one that necessarily involves nations and industries reckoning with their role in the climate crisis. As Francis notes, “the most effective solutions will not come from individual efforts alone, but above all from major political decisions on the national and international level” (Laudate Deum 69). Throughout Laudate Deum, Francis calls on our governments and international organizations to take responsibility for the future of the world.
We can pray that countries respond to this call from Pope Francis and concerned citizens across the globe. We can also continue to urge them to take action. In “Countries consider pact to reduce plastic production by 40% in 15 years,” Sandra Laville discusses the motion submitted by Rwanda and Peru to the United Nations to reduce plastic production by 40% by 2040. Laville notes, “Global plastic production soared from 2m tonnes in 1950 to 348 tonnes in 2017…. Plastic production is a significant driver of climate breakdown, as most plastic is made from fossil fuels.” While countries have committed to a plastics treaty by the end of 2024, there is still much work to be done, including that of people calling on their governments to commit to a treaty that will be effective.
To continue to learn about and take action for the earth, including reducing plastic production and pollution, we can turn to organizations like Pace e Bene for inspiration and action. Pace e Bene’s Campaign Nonviolence calls us to live lives of nonviolence within our human communities and in relation to the earth. In April 2024, they held their first Peace and Planet Mobilization to encourage people to take action for environmental justice. In this mobilization, Campaign Nonviolence encouraged people to recognize the connections between violence and environmental injustice. As they note, “In numerous ways, militarism and fossil fuels go hand-in-hand. To stop them, peace and planet must forge an unbreakable alliance.” Their annual Campaign Nonviolence Days of Action continue this call for an end to militarism and a recognition of its impact on the earth and human communities.
Truly, humanity has much to reconcile with the earth for, and this journey will take us years as we consider our individual and societal relationships with all of creation. Nonetheless, there is hope for this journey as organizations such as Pace e Bene inspire our action and we encourage our nations to commit to and be held responsible for responding to climate change.
As we reflect today, let us consider our own understanding of reconciliation. How can we reconcile with the earth? How can we enable our communities and governments to join in or commit to this reconciliation?
Take Pace e Bene’s 5-Day Nonviolence Challenge and include your relationship to the earth. Watch the video with Rosie Davila to learn more about how our food choices impact the earth.
Several states have already passed laws to reduce plastic pollution and ban single-use plastic bags – now, we can do it across the country with the newly reintroduced Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, which would help reduce plastic pollution and build a more sustainable future. Food and Water Watch asks us to tell our members of Congress to support the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act. TAKE ACTION
Action Alert: Sign the Petition Demanding a Global Treaty on Plastics Reduction