Amazonian activists in
Ecuador join “Fridays For Future”
 |
| Daniel Robles Romero, Fridays for Future Ecuador (Amazzonia) |
Students took to the streets across the globe in the
hundreds of thousands on Friday, marking a second wave of worldwide protests
demanding swift action on climate change. As a local conservationist and
rainforest guide reveals, the phenomenon has infiltrated the lush Amazon
vegetation and encouraged its inhabitants to highlight the fragility of the
Amazon ecosystem.
By Mario Galgano & Linda Bordoni
“Fridays For Future” is a global movement of
students who leave their classrooms to demonstrate and demand action to curtail
the escalating global warming crisis and halt climate change.
It was begun in August 2018 by Greta Thunberg, a
16-year-old Swedish climate change activist who has galvanized her peers across
the globe and addressed political leaders at the recent United Nations Climate
Summit.
Fridays for Future protesters are calling for the
abandonment of fossil energy sources, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,
and environmental justice for the peoples of the world.
Preparing to contribute to the upcoming October Synod
of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region, Daniel Robles, an
Amazon rainforest researcher and guide in the Ecuadorian Amazon, told Vatican
News that the team of conservationists to whom he belongs has become
increasingly galvanized by the world-wide movement:
Daniel explained that he is part of a Foundation that aims
to protect the Amazon rainforest and said that the members of the group he
works with heard about the Fridays For Future initiative.
The fact that people, as far away as Europe, were starting
to stand up and demand action against climate change was incredibly empowering,
he said.
He revealed that a series of set-backs had impacted his
group’s activities and said they were not campaigning any more, but seeing so
many people across the globe take action “we started to get organized with
other groups to join Fridays For Future “which is a great
idea”.
People are really starting to take an interest
Daniel said in his community the Church is really supportive
and, more generally, while at the beginning no one seemed to paying much
attention, in the last couple of months more and more people are getting
interested – including NGOs and even government representatives - in the
possibility of being able to bring about change.
“We think people are starting to think about how they can
help preserve our environment,” he said.
Thanks to increased activity and awareness raising, he
said his group is receiving comments on social media, and this had led to the
making of videos that are posted on fb to raise awareness regarding the need to
protect the Amazon rainforest “which is important for the whole world”.
The Global Catholic Climate Movement
Daniel said faith-based organizations are in the front line
as regards commitment for the cause, including Caritas, “with which we now have
an alliance”, and the MCMC (The Global Catholic Climate Movement) that is
working with us to support future activities.
The Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region
Daniel confessed he knew nothing of the October Synod, but
expressed interest and enthusiasm for any initiative that shows attention and
concern for the Amazon Rivers and ecosystems.
“We think it is great that a meeting such as that will help
get the message across that it is necessary to protect the Amazon Rainforest,”
he said.
For too many years, he concluded, bad practices have contributed
to increasingly damage the rainforest and its peoples, but “we are the
generation that must make some important changes”.
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