Für das Leben in Amazonien

Abstract

The encyclical Laudato si’ by Pope Francis is of great strategic importance for the work of church aid organizations in Latin America. “We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental.” (LS 139) In the reality of the Amazon, it becomes clear how closely these elements are intertwined: Socio-economic factors fuel the ecological crisis. The increasing integration into the global market and the intense hunger for raw materials, e. g. in Europe, are driving forces behind the destruction of the Amazon. The response to this takes into account ecological as well as economic, social and cultural human rights: Those who want to protect the forest and their communities often risk their own lives. A central element of the work on the ground is therefore the strengthening of indigenous and other traditionally economic communities. The protection of endangered life and nature necessarily includes human rights work, including in the case of threatened environmental and human rights defenders.