Laudato Si School: Pope Francis’ Commitment to Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change

Issues such as the increase in the temperature of the earth, deforestation and the melting of the poles have promoted that the care and preservation of the environment are matters of vital importance on the agendas of international organizations and states.

The commitment to inherit a healthy planet for future generations has allowed various personalities to speak out in favor of mitigating the effects of the climate crisis. For his part, Pope Francis, who has been an important spokesman on this issue, inaugurated on May 19 the "Laudato Si School" initiative, with which he encourages young people from Latin America to be protectors of biodiversity and natural resources of their regions.

This initiative arises from Scholas Occurrentes, an international organization of Pontifical Right created by decree of the pontiff and that has the support of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).

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In the inauguration speech, the pope made it clear that: "The environment at this time is part of the excluded, it is screaming that we pay attention to it and take care of it (…) human responsibility is at stake, taking care of the common home, the environment is the common home, it is one of the things that must be started from a young age”.

The Laudato Si School was born as a new option to provide answers to the consequences caused by climate change. According to a press release from CAF, droughts, deforestation, the extinction of fauna and flora, pollution and the increase in CO2 in the air are just some of the problems that will be tried to be solved with the projects that 50 students from various countries from Latin America, will propose after a continuous training of 12 months in integral ecology and community initiatives.

Sergio Díaz Granados, president of CAF, told the EFE Verde web portal that: "The project helps young people in Latin America to assume a more active role in protecting diversity and promoting the climate change strategy." .

Why in Latin America?

It is important to remember that the region has areas of great environmental importance such as the Amazon, which is known by many as one of the lungs of the earth and also has a wide diversity of fauna and flora. However, it is one of the places in the world where an excessive growth of deforestation has been evidenced. Likewise, in Latin America there are important reserves of minerals and raw materials that supply a large part of the world.

The initiative also has the support of different entertainment personalities such as Bono, vocalist of the rock band U2, who was at the inauguration, being also an activist for the care of the environment and who expressed the importance of taking immediate measures on this topic. Likewise, former soccer players such as Dani Alves, Ronaldinho and Maxi Rodríguez will be present at a match that will be played on October 10 in Rome with the aim of raising awareness for the environment and peace.

Laudato Si School is just one of the hundreds of initiatives that are being developed around the world and that demonstrate once again that through collective action and community and local management, various problems of humanity can be solved, as is the case of those caused by the impending climate crisis.