International Mother Earth Day

Planet Earth provides us with resources to nourish ourselves and materials to build shelters and keep warm. This allows us to develop during different stages of our lives and ensure that future generations of various species can do the same. Thus, humans can draw parallels between the way we relate to the planet and to our maternal figures. In the Americas region, the Andean peoples in the southern part of the continent developed a related concept: Pachamama, a deity responsible for fertility among other things, that was part of the Incan pantheon. Even after the arrival of the Spaniards, this concept has not only survived but has spread, gaining global recognition and contributing to the development of environmental awareness through the integration of ancestral knowledge.

However, today Earth's ecosystems face significant challenges, and given our relationship with them, so do we. Remnants of the plastics we produce have been found at the deepest point of the ocean, and there is concern about microplastics in the sea entering the food chain with the potential to affect the health of marine species and humans. Additionally, the presence of plastic has been linked to increasing acidity levels in bodies of water. Finally, rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss have affected and will continue to affect millions of people around the world.

Many of these phenomena are the result of anthropogenic activities: Mother Earth shows signs of abuse on our part. From unsustainable deforestation and poor management of land use and waste to the release of greenhouse gases, our relationship with the environment is contaminated. This is the third Mother Earth Day celebrated within the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. On this day, we invite you to rethink the direction of our economies, our practices, and policies to restore environmental health, reduce our ecological footprint, and combat social inequalities that lead to conflicts, integrating the most marginalized populations and the most vulnerable to natural disasters.