Bolivia’s bishops have urged the country’s authorities to act quickly in staving off irreparable harm to people and the environment as raging wildfires continue to devastate millions of acres. Source: OSV News.
In a statement published on September 9, the Bolivian Bishops’ Conference said the country is suffering from “an ecological disaster caused by human hands” that demands “a prompt response to the environmental damage caused by indiscriminate burning and fires in the Chiquitanía (region) and in so many places in eastern Bolivia”.
“The Catholic Church calls on the responsible political authorities to act quickly and effectively, thus preventing this environmental and national catastrophe from increasing,” the bishops said.
“It is not only a matter of extinguishing the fires, but also of helping all the people who are suffering as a result of this situation and are affected in their economy and daily lives.”
Citing estimates made by the Brazilian space research agency Inpe, the Reuters news agency reported that Bolivia has experienced its largest number of wildfires this year compared to previous years, with more than 3 million hectares of land burned so far.
According to the forest monitoring site, Global Forest Watch, there have been an estimated 47,675 fire alerts over the past year. “This is unusually high compared to previous years going back to 2012,” the site stated.
With firefighters in the country spread thin, Bolivian government authorities have called for international aid.
In their statement, the Bolivian bishops spoke out against the clearing of land through agricultural burning in the country, resulting not only in “damage to Creation but also damage to the people who inhabit these territories”.
Destroying homes and causing air pollution came “with serious consequences for human health, especially for children and the elderly”.
Citing Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, the bishops reaffirmed the Church’s commitment and solidarity to those suffering as a result of the environmental disaster in the country because “concern for nature is inseparable from justice for the poor, commitment to society and interior peace”.
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As Wildfires Rage In Bolivia, Bishops Warn Of Lasting Damage To ‘Mother Earth’ (By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News)
