It is 'World Environment Day' once again! Everywhere one witnesses a flurry of 'activities.' There is the usual jostle to plant saplings, the plethora of long, boring speeches on the importance of the environment repeated 'ad nauseam' and plenty of photo-ops with faces beaming towards the cameras. The newspapers are full of advertisements about the environment; several of them are from government agencies – the very ones responsible for destroying the environment and our fragile biodiversity!

Plenty of 'tokenism' and 'cosmetic' action – most of which will be forgotten tomorrow. Trees are necessary, but is there someone who will nurture the saplings and ensure their growth? Public awareness of the importance of the environment is a prerequisite – but then words ring hollow when the ones who wax eloquent are the very ones who are in nexus with the land mafia who dry up our water bodies for their high-rise buildings and who cohort with the mining mafia to plunder our precious natural resources.

Interestingly, the theme for World Environment Day 2025 is 'Ending Global Plastic Pollution.' It focuses on the widespread impact of plastic pollution, from visible waste to microplastics in various ecosystems, and calls for action to reduce and eliminate it. But who cares? Some of the big manufacturers will continue rolling out their reams of plastic without any qualms of conscience – after all, they will always have the protection of the powerful. Our seas and rivers are polluted with plastic waste. There are practically no checks and balances to ensure that plastics below 120 microns are not used as carry bags, or, for that matter, to enforce strict segregation of garbage disposal and prevention of toxins from being dumped into our seas, rivers, and other water bodies.

According to the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), India is ranked in a pathetically low position of 176 out of 180 countries. The low ranking is due to poor air quality, high projected emissions and low biodiversity scores. The EPI uses 58 indicators to assess a country's environmental performance. Indicators include biodiversity, air pollution, air and water quality, waste management, emission growth rates, projected emissions, etc., under the three main headings of ecosystem vitality, environmental health, and climate change. To assess how well countries are safeguarding their natural treasures, the EPI added a new category this year: biodiversity and habitat. This category revealed a worrying trend – many protected areas worldwide are being overtaken by buildings and agriculture. India's heavy reliance on coal is a key factor hindering its environmental performance across multiple indicators. Coal use not only fuels high greenhouse gas emissions but also contributes significantly to India's severe air pollution problem. This is reflected in India's rankings: 177 for air quality (above only Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal).

This grim reality cries for Environmental Justice! It is the cry of the poor! The cry of the earth! 'Environmental justice' is today a global social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalised communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has generated hundreds of studies showing that exposure to environmental harm is inequitably distributed. Additionally, many marginalised communities, including the LGBTQIA+ community, are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters.

The primary goal of the environmental justice movement is to achieve agency for poor and marginalised communities (particularly those excluded and exploited) in making environmental decisions that affect their lives. The global environmental justice movement originates from local environmental conflicts, in which environmental defenders frequently confront multinational corporations engaged in resource extraction or other industries. Local outcomes of these conflicts are increasingly influenced by transnational environmental justice networks.

In India, we experience today how mega-corporations and the mining mafia are literally ruling the roost. What is happening in the tribal areas of Manipur and the Adivasi areas of Bastar, Chhattisgarh, today are clear examples of how environmental justice is denied to these sections of people!

In a few days, the 62nd sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB 62) will convene from June 16 to 26 at the World Conference Centre in Bonn, Germany. The outcomes of SB 62 are expected to shape the agenda and inform decisions at COP30 later in the year. The 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), also known as COP30, will take place from November 10 to 21 in Belém, Brazil. During this climate summit, governments must take new steps to mitigate the climate crisis and achieve the target of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees.

The Society of Jesus has launched the Jesuits for Climate Justice SB62 and COP30 Campaign globally, stating that "the climate crisis can no longer be denied." Its most severe effects are felt in countries where extreme weather devastates communities, rising sea levels threaten coastal regions, and ecosystem collapse jeopardises livelihoods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report warns of "a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all." This crisis demands immediate and decisive actions, and COP30 is a critical event for the global community in addressing the climate emergency. In the spirit of the Jubilee of Hope, we call upon all people of goodwill to advocate for a just and sustainable future, urging delegates to COP30 and governments to:
1.    Cancel the debt of underdeveloped countries and strengthen the Loss and Damage Fund. Unjust and unpayable debts from underdeveloped nations should be cancelled, allowing resources to be allocated freely for climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. A grant-based Loss and Damage Fund must provide adequate resources to address the devastating impacts of climate change.
2.    Accelerate agreements and set targets for a Just Energy Transition to reduce CO2 emissions. A Just Energy Transition should consider historical responsibilities, respect Indigenous rights, value nature, and prioritise sustainable livelihoods over profit-driven models.
3.    Set concrete targets to build a Global Food Sovereignty System based on agroecological practices. A system that promotes culturally adapted modes of production, transformation, distribution, and food consumption, applying ecological principles to agriculture.
The COP process is imperative for making international progress on the climate crisis. Pope Francis stated, "It is a matter of establishing global and effective rules that can permit 'providing for' this global safeguarding" (LD, 43). Everyone is invited to join this important campaign.

Long ago, Mahatma Gandhi reminded us that "the world has enough for everyone's needs, but not everyone's greed." In his path-breaking Encyclical Laudato Si', our beloved late Pope Francis echoes a similar sentiment: "we have to realise that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor." These are genuine cries for environmental justice! But is the world listening? Are we listening? If so, radical and prompt action is demanded immediately – NOW!