Abellanosa

paradigm that has made the exploiters of the world’s resources victorious.

The world’s ecological problem is not any small wound or a scratch on the surface. It is a disease that needs a major treatment. Small, short-term, and sporadic efforts therefore may appease our consciences but they won’t have any major impact until and unless major policies are truly enforced. We can all run here and there picking up garbage. We may even print as many posters telling people to help save mother earth. But these are not the solutions. We may not even be aware that in the process of saving the environment, we further create more trash and thus, unwittingly, become part of the problem rather than the solution.

Laudato Si’exactly describes the matter: “international arrangements and policies are weak and futile in the face of powerful financial interests.” Those who are controlling the mode of production are resistant to all political and legal efforts which seek to mitigate the destruction of nature.

So when I see children being asked to do coastal clean up, I would feel a certain kind of discomfort. It’s not that I don’t want to train the youth to be environmentally conscious. One, consciousness and awareness are products of social evolution. It would take years before an environmentally aware citizenry would translate their thoughts to a tangible paradise. Two (and more importantly), the causes of ecological destruction are complex. We need more coherent and concentrated strategies. Good intentions are not enough.

At the core of our ecological crisis is the deficiency in our governance. Sadly, we have a government whose priority is the extermination of people rather than the promotion of human wellbeing or the quality of life.