Good afternoon, Pope Francis.

I have just come across your Enciclica Laudatao SI and I

agree with you. I believe that we are all united by the same concern. Sir David Attenborough
plainly sets the table for us by stating that we are in the sixth mass extinction event, the last of
which was the extinction of the dinosaurs. However, this one is caused by our own doing.
Gretta Thunberg , asks the question “How dare you?” to the world’s leaders. How dare they
ruin the earth and leave the younger generations to live with the repercussions. In your
preface you call to attention the words of Saint Francis of Assisi by referring to the earth as
“Mother Earth who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored
flowers and herbs.” You also refer to Genesis and remind us that we ourselves are dust of the
earth and our bodies are made up of her elements. You also refer to the earth as “among the
most abandoned and maltreated of our poor” which directly relates to the Catholic Beatitudes
and Jesus’ teachings. In Genesis God entrusted the world to us, and it is our responsibility as
Christians to respect the Earths gifts, and in turn respect human life. I ask you though, how can
I as one person of insignificant stature make a difference? I often feel daunted at the thought
of this task. You appeal to us to open a dialogue on the future of the planet and I think that
may be the most effective way for people of my stature to start. Many people doing small
changes can have a great impact.
Pope Francis, I believe the Issue of Water is the most important issue of the earth’s
resources. Fresh water is the basis of all living life and the fundamental physical necessity of
human life. Without clean drinking water, life can not thrive. In established and well-off
countries, clean drinking water is often an afterthought due to the ease of turning on a tap and
filling a glass. In America, very rarely do we have to worry about clean drinking water.
However, as we have seen recently, ecological disasters such as the train derailment in East
Palestine Ohio, the water can become quickly polluted and clean up not handled appropriately.
Even in 1st world countries, fresh drinking water is still a concern. I think bottled drinking water
is one of the most harmful threats to fresh drinking water. Large companies infringe on native
lands draining water basins to sell water for profit often at the detriment of the local populace
and wild life who rely on access to that clean water.
In the film Our Planet: Our Business we are considered to be in a time of “Great
Acceleration”. In the last fifty years, the number of people on earth has doubled and farming
and technology has increased. In turn so has waste. Humans are considered to be the most
dominant force on earth and ice caps at the poles are 40% smaller in the summer than in 1980s.
Over fishing has killed off entire species of fish and ecosystems. Fishing community and
cultures that were build up over hundreds of years, disappear almost over night in some
locations. In the last fifty years, wild animal population has declined by 60%. What I find
interesting is that we are the first generation to know that we are the cause of the
environments decline. I find it frightening how the worlds leader ignore the data about climate
change. As I said earlier, water is the upmost important. Especially the ocean and the ocean
reefs. It is possible to fish sustainability and keep the waters unpolluted. When learning about
the environmental decline in Our Planet, I become afraid for my children. When I pass on, it
will be their problem to worry about. How can I rest easy knowing that they my not hear the
birds sing in the morning, or see the wonderful animals God created that I grew up seeing
daily? So many people believe that it is not their problem to solve so they ignore it. Yet, when
we look to your words, scripture, and science it very plainly is everyone’s problem. Without
intervention now, our children will bear the consequences of our actions and they will be the
ones to suffer.
Regards,
Jacob Hetu