JPIC summary report climate change action in Kiribati

Talking about climate change and its destructive and harmful impacts on the environment and people, Kiribati, is at the fore front and the most vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change. Climate change knows no boundary and it is a global issue, affecting everyone on this planet.

The scientific community has warned that climate change is ‘man-made’, that is, it is caused by human activities. Industrial countries, first world countries, developed nations and most populous nations are the most responsible to climate change.

However, Kiribati, although it is not responsible to climate change, is considered the most vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change, especially the rising sea levels, since the highest point is no more than 3 meters above sea levels; drought and fresh water shortage due to sea water intrusion, and coral breaching and other climate change impacts.

In response to “Laudato Si”, the MSC in Kiribati, tried to engage itself through St Joseph’s Parish, by inviting the youth to take part in the closing of the “Season of Creation: ‘Laudato Si activity’” – by picking mangroves seedlings to be planted after 3 days, which falls on Monday, October 4th, 2021, the closing of the Season of Creation and for the celebration of St Francis Patron of ecologists and environmentalists.

The program for that day (October 4th, 2021) was the celebration of the eucharist at 7am, at St Vincent de Paul Sector, Gasgony maneaba. The youth attended the mass together with members of the Catholic community at this Sector. The mass followed by breakfast at the sector.

Around 9am, two volunteers from the ministry of environment gave an important message to the youth about our responsibility to take care of our environment. Later the youth began a clean up along the Ananau causeway (Bonriki). While some did a general clean up, most of the youth engaged in the planting of mangroves seedlings, which had been picked and prepared 3 days earlier.

The Catholic youth was reminded about the value of mangroves and the need to plant and to protect them, since mangroves have a vital role for marine habitat and breeding and for coastal protection.

Around 1,000 mangrove seedlings were planted on the 4^th October, 2021 for the closing of the ‘Seasons of Creation – Laudato Si’ activity.

At the beginning of this year (January, 2022), the youth had another day of general clean up and the planting of more mangrove seedlings. So far, the youth had planted about 3 thousand mangroves in an allocated site with a plan to plant more and more as the years go by.

The youth were joined by the Catechist, aspiring catechists and the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. It was a simple but important step to engage the Catholic youth in caring for the environment.

This is a small concrete action to engage our youth in the care and protection of our common home as promoted by Pope Francis in his encyclical “Laudato si”.

 We plan to plant more mangroves at the coming Season of Creation from September 2 until October 4^th, this year.

In the attachment are some of the photos of our youth activities in the planting of mangroves.   

Martin Everi MSC – JPIC promotor.