International environmental cooperation

La Laudato Si and international environmental cooperation in waters and forests


Francisco shows in the encyclical how “concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society and inner peace are inseparable” (LS10). And throughout it shows how the poorest are those who suffer the effects of environmental deterioration either by “exposure to air pollutants produces a wide spectrum of health effects, especially of the poorest, causing millions of deaths premature ”(LS10), for living in“ places particularly affected by phenomena related to warming, and their livelihoods depend heavily on natural reserves and ecosystem services, such as agriculture, fisheries and forest resources ”(LS25 ) and especially because of “a particularly serious problem, that of the quality of water available to the poor, which causes many deaths every day. Among the poor, water-related diseases are frequent, including those caused by microorganisms and chemical substances. Diarrhea and cholera, which are related to inadequate hygienic services and provision of water, are a significant factor of suffering and infant mortality. ”

The poor are the main victims “the culture of discarding, which affects both excluded human beings and things that quickly become trash” (LS22). For this reason, the Foundation also plans to act as an international environmental cooperation organization, in order to develop concrete projects related, among others, to the care and supply of water, the provision of renewable energy, landscaping, rural development and urbanization or change. climate in poor areas where they are most needed, because “the worst impacts will probably fall on developing countries in the coming decades” (LS 172).