Have you ever heard the fable of ‘The Boiling Frog’? A frog, if it is suddenly put in boiling water, will immediately jump out. However, if you place a frog in tepid water, which is then brought to boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. I am sorry to break this news to you, but we are the frogs that are being slowly cooked to death. The earth is gradually boiling. Does the term ‘global warming’ ring a bell? Yes, we are in a stewing brewing pot.

There is one thing that affects us all, irrespective of our religious beliefs, race, colour, age, nationalities, and that is climate change. In some parts of the world, the record-breaking freezing temperatures literally freeze people to death. In other parts of the world, the heat burns people to death, and there are places where people drown due to heavy rainfall. We are all affected by climate change in some way or another and there is no turning back the clock.

Mankind has exploited the vast natural resources and the environment to such an extent that we are beginning to pay it back, and it only gets dearer with time. We have no one else to blame, but ourselves. You may be wondering what you have to do with climate change, degrading environment, consumerism and irresponsible developments? The simple answer is, everything, it affects you and your loved ones as much as it does the rest of the world.

We are arriving or have already arrived at a time in history, where our survival is challenged. Our basic needs like clean air, clean drinking water and organic, wholesome food will soon become a rare resource. Our body receives the nutrients from the food we eat. When the earth is depleted of its nutrients, the food produced will be unnourishing. We are created from the earth and sustained by the produce of the earth. If the earth is depleted and does not sustain us, we will perish.

When we care for our planet, it will, in return, take care of us. When we exploit the earth, we hurt only ourselves. This is our common home, our earth, and we need to nurture it. God has placed us with the responsibility to take care of our planet. Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’ has been an eye opener for me and I would encourage you all to read it, even if you are not a Catholic. This letter is for all humanity. Pope Francis is pleading with all mankind to take ‘swift and global unified action’. http://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si_en.pdf

I would also encourage you to watch Sir David Attenborough’s series on the Blue Planet II. It is heartbreaking to watch our colourful coral reefs bleached due to global warming and our beautiful marine life suffocate and die due to plastic consumption that is dumped into our oceans. When we fail to take care of our planet, we fail to take care of ourselves. When our ecosystem is not in equilibrium, the entire world’s system is affected. Even if you make a difference, even a small one, collectively will have a great impact.

The future of our planet is in our hands. We are caretakers of this beautiful planet God has placed us on. When the glaciers melt, the sea level will rise, and our beautiful, pristine coastline will disappear into the sea. Our coastal cities will be no more. Most of our flora and fauna will be extinct. Our survival depends greatly on their survival.

Someone has wisely said that we are the first generation to be affected by climate change and the last generation that can do something about it. If each of us don’t care, then our beautiful planet will not last for long. Something must be done, and it must be done by everyone right now. Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’ provides us with numerous options and solutions to the debilitating problem that we face with our environment, climate change and the way of life. Once again, I urge you to read it. If you don’t like reading, then you have an option to listen to it by using the ‘pdf read aloud option’. Our planet is in urgent need of help and it is crying out to you. You can be a hero you always wanted to be. You can be a legend that leaves a legacy for the next generation to come. You can save lives, restore the planet. You can make a difference, and this begins with you, me and all of us.

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