Forest fires: Church asks not only to attend to the fire-fighting tasks, but also to assist the victims

Under the imprint of listen to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poorthe Catholic Church speaks out on the ecological disaster caused by human hand in Bolivia and demands a “immediate response for the Chiquitania and so many places in the East.”

And that response is not only to attend to the extinguishing of the fires, but also to help the affected populations, the most vulnerable.

Over the weekend, almost the entire population of a community in Concepción (Palestina) had to be evacuated due to high levels of pollution. These people, for example, need health care, a place to live and conditions to eat and study.

The Catholic Church details in the letter that it is dedicated not only to its evangelizing task, but also to care of creation and of our brothers “who They suffer poverty and the consequences of mistreatment of Mother Earth.”

It says verbatim: “Looking at the reality we live in Bolivia an ecological disaster caused by human hands, with irreparable consequences; a prompt response is urgently needed to the environmental damage caused by indiscriminate burning and fires in Chiquitanía and in many places in eastern Bolivia.”

AND focuses on the damage to the people who inhabit these territoriesdue to the destruction of their habitat and air pollution with serious consequences for human health, especially for children and the elderly.

Call to political authorities

As decision-makers, the Church calls upon political authorities to act quickly and effectively, thus preventing this environmental and national catastrophe from worsening.

“It’s not just about eradicating fires, but also about helping all the people who suffer due to this situation and their economy and daily life are affected,” the statement said.

Likewise, it urges to take preventive policies in the care of nature because “What is at stake is the future of our children and young people.”

This weekend, eastern Bolivia was the scene of flames and environmental pollution that are taking its toll on 3.8 million hectares, of which the department of Santa Cruz has 3.3 million and the rest is divided between Pando and Beni. The latter was declared a disaster on Friday and Santa Cruz this past Sunday.