By Fr. John Damian Adizie

Most religions and cultures believe that Man comes from the earth. Most of them even believe that un-to dust shall man return. Every year during the Ash Wednesday most orthod-ox churches, including Catholics, usually receive Ash on their forehead.

While receiving the Ash, the minister usually declar-es, “Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return.” This was act-ually taken from Genesis 3:19 where God told Adam, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bre-ad until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken.” Whether we like it or not, one day we shall all return to the earth from where we came from. That is why we must take care of the earth.

Considering the importan-ce of the earth and its ind-ispensable role in human existence, the UN has de-clared April 22 as Inter-national Mother Earth Day. This celebration is meant to remind us of some of the essential benefits we derive from the earth. The theme of 2017 Internation-al Mother Earth Day is  ”Environmental & Climate Lit-eracy.”

We need adequa-te knowledge of our environ-ment and cli-mate. Without this knowledge we cannot co-nfront some of the challenges facing our pla-net today, esp-ecially now that the world is facing cli-mate change. Ignorance of our environment and even our planet is danger-ous to human existence. Problem known is problem half solved!

This year, there is a step further to confront some of the abuses and threats against the earth, the en-vironment and the climate. Hence, the theme of this year’s International Moth-er Earth Day is “End Plastic Pollution.” Plastic pollution is the accumulation of man-made plastic waste products in the environ-ment. Since these plastic products hardly decay they constitute hazard to wildlife, crops and even human populations. They are a major threat to hum-an existence.

In his first homily as the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis made a passion-ate appeal for the protect-ion of the earth and its environs: “Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of respon-sibility in economic, politi-cal and social life, and all men and women of good-will: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the env-ironment.

Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves!”

A protector of the env-ironment is indeed a protector of life. As you join the Holy Father and other people of goodwill in the protection of the earth and its environs it shall be well with you in Jesus name – Amen!