Kathleen O’Keefe CSJ on behalf of the Ecology Committee
“Because all creatures are connected, each must be cherished with love and respect, for all of us as living creatures, are dependent on one another” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, #42).
As E.O. Wilson puts it, humans have “an innate affinity with nature.” We are to interact with the natural world with a profound sense of wonder and awe, along with deep appreciation to our Creator God. In creation, there is “an order and a dynamism that human beings have no right to ignore” (L.S., #221). “We cannot interfere in one area of the ecosystem without paying due attention to the consequences of such interference in other areas …” (L.S., #130-131).
In my research, I learned that there is a need to be able to assess the state of the environment and to use sensitive indicators to do so. Both birds and bees act as “the canary in the coal mine” in terrestrial ecosystems. Bird and bee monitoring have become essential parts of our adaptation to our changing global circumstances.
“The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all” (L.S., #23).
On the David Suzuki Foundation website, I read that living beings, including birds and bees, “are moving, adapting and in some cases dying as a direct or indirect result of environmental shifts associated with our changing climate — disrupting intricate interactions among species with profound implications for the natural systems on which humans depend.”
The Nature Canada website stated that “climate change can alter distribution, abundance, behavior and genetic composition of birds” and, can affect the “timing of events like migration or breeding.” Habitat loss and alien invasive species make matters worse for birds. Extinction risks increase as a mismatch of birds and their environment takes place.
“How many songbirds would there be without the berries that result from pollination by bees?” Laurence Packer’s book, “Keeping the Bees” sheds light on this important topic. Climate change is affecting pollination by disrupting the synchronized timing at which bees pollinate. Flowers are blooming earlier in the growing season due to rising temperatures, before many bees have a chance at pollinating the plants. Thus, when bees finally begin pollination there is limited nectar available and competition for these valuable resources becomes more intense.
A report from Health Canada reveals that the bee population is in real danger due to the use of “new highly toxic systemic pesticides in agriculture.” We need bees for their role in pollinating many food crops on which we depend. David Suzuki declares, “bees are responsible for about one third of our food supply, and the consequences of not taking action to protect them are frightening.”
Pope Francis challenges each person alive today with these words: “Leaving an inhabitable planet to future generations is first and foremost up to us” (L.S., #160). He urges us to become a part of the “bold cultural revolution.”
Suggested Resource:
“On care for our common home: A dialogue guide for Laudato Si’’ Written by Janet Sommerville and William F. Ryan SJ with Anne O’Brien GSIC and Anne-Marie Jackson. Ottawa: St. Joseph Communications, 2016.
