Minute for Mission: Earth Day

My new friend Oswaldo was regaling me with stories of working for justice for Afro-Peruvians when out of the blue, he asked me, “Will you be going to Cali, Colombia, in October for the COP-16 on Biodiversity? His question took me by surprise because I would, in fact, be attending the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP), but I could not for the life of me figure out why he was asking! It seemed completely off-topic. Before I make the connection, perhaps I should take a step back first.

Church partners gathered with Indigenous peoples, leaders from across the African
Diaspora, State and civil society representatives, and thousands more from across
the globe for the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP-16) held in Cali,
Colombia, to search for ways to protect and sustain the diversity of life on planet Earth.

The previous year, after I returned from Dubai from the U.N. Conference on Climate Change, I received an invitation from the Latin American Network of Churches and Mining — a group that Presbyterian Hunger Program global partner Red Uniendo Manos Peru has participated in for over five years — to join with them at the COP-16. At the heart of their concern is an issue I had been addressing in Dubai – namely, that lands occupied by Indigenous peoples are at great risk from mining activity due to new demands related to the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies. And, if we do not support the rights of Indigenous peoples, then we risk repeating the harms of colonization once again. Furthermore, the lands on which most Indigenous peoples live represent over 80% of the world’s biodiversity, which is immensely valuable for water, climate stabilization, local economies and planetary health. So, it was in the interest of Indigenous peoples that I would be in Cali for the COP-16, which is why I did not understand Oswaldo’s question.

Seeing bewilderment in my eyes, Oswaldo explained that the lands on which many Afro-Descendent communities settled after they won their freedom from enslavement are lands that represent about 40% of the world’s biodiversity. It is land they care for and protect. Yet, these lands are also being misappropriated and contaminated by mining activity. Part of the demands for reparations for Afro-Descendent peoples in Latin America is the restoration of these lands and the protection of their rights to defend them.

What is so increasingly clear is that seemingly disparate themes of injustice that at times are pulling us in opposite directions or have us competing for time, energy and resources are, actually, deeply interconnected themes. Historic harms and present-day problems, such as those faced by Indigenous communities and Afro-descendent communities in Latin America, are intricately woven together, just as our efforts for healing and justice must be — efforts to repair the harms of the past, resist the threats of the present, and restore life for the future. To celebrate Earth Day is not only to celebrate our one common home but the interconnectedness and diversity of all life that depend on it.

Jed Koball; Global Ecumenical Liaison based in Lima, Peru; Interim Unified Agency

Let us join in prayer for:

• Laurie Kraus, Director, Humanitarian and Global Ecumenical Engagement, Interim Unified Agency
• Rebecca Kueber, Desktop Publisher & Formatter, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation 

Let us pray:

God of Creation, you have woven us into the fabric Life, making us interdependent across cultures and species. Grant us curiosity and courage to discover the unique value of all beings, that our hearts may be filled with wonder. Give us resolve to care for this Earth that all may know the joy it brings. Plant in us a deep desire to know your very presence in the midst of our interconnectedness. Amen.