Fr Sean McDonagh, Columban priest and ecologist, said “The COP for biodiversity only takes place every two years, while the COP for climate change takes place every year. In fact, many will not even mention the COP for biodiversity, [which is] so very important,”
Amy Echeverria, Columban International Coordinator for Justice, Peace and Ecology is representing the order in the Summit. In a released statement, they explained: “The purpose of attending these international summits is to bear witness to the global community that people of faith are committed to advocating for the protection and restoration of biodiversity.”
The priest said it is important to emphasise the importance of biodiversity now, to ensure it is not destroyed. “Because once a species is gone, it’s gone forever…if we destroy them, we destroy the future of everyone, including human beings,” Fr McDonagh added.
Fr McDonagh said the involvement of the Church in biodiversity campaigns and eco-protection is “huge. The Church is concerned about life. This is about life, the continuation of life,” he added. “This is central to our Christian identity.”
“And if the religious people are not involved in that, what are they involved in? It’s so important for us, this is God’s creation…When it comes to biodiversity, the reality of who is causing the destruction of biodiversity [is] only one creature: humans.