“We are called not only to respect the natural environment, but also to show respect for, and solidarity with, all the members of our human family.”

By Dr Jennifer Jones

Scientist and nature writer 

I wonder if, like me, you find that some months are filled with important dates: birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, First Holy Communions, and so on. Well, June is diary month in our family. 

It seems as though there is something significant happening every day. My diary almost shouts at me to make sure that I remember them all. I should perhaps also call June the Care for Creation month. There are so many environmental awareness days that I need to add them to my diary as well. 

Here in the UK, June is often the month that we sense – or hope – is one characterised by good weather, lush vegetation, sparkling beach days and much more, but of course that is not the case everywhere. Perhaps that’s why June is an important month for environmental awareness globally. The United Nations invites us to celebrate World Environment Day on 5 June, followed by World Oceans Day on 8 June. The World Day against Child Labour is marked on 12 June, there is a call to focus on the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on 17 June, while 20 June is World Refugee Day.

Of course, within the Church, we have the beautiful feast of Corpus Christi on 7 June and, finally, let’s sneak in Father’s Day on 21 June. That’s a lot of days to remember. 
It is impossible in the space available here to write something about all these days, each relevant in its own way to caring for creation. So, I shall focus on World Environment Day as it is all-encompassing. Marking the day in 2013, Pope Francis said, “We are called not only to respect the natural environment, but also to show respect for, and solidarity with, all the members of our human family.” Here then, he shows us the inextricable link between care for the environment and care for our fellow humans. 

The theme for World Environment Day this year is climate change action and solutions for a sustainable future. No-one can claim today to be ignorant of the impacts of climate change, both here and elsewhere in the world: rising seas, wildfires, drought, harvest failures, and melting glaciers are just some of the signs of our stressed climate system. On this World Environment Day, we are all called to take action to prevent further change. 

Azerbaijan is the host for the day for 2026. We may not be aware immediately of that country’s efforts to reduce climate change impacts. Azerbaijan is a country of enormous biodiversity, ranging from subtropical forests to alpine ecosystems. As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, it is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2035. It is modernizing its water industry and climate-resilient agriculture to strengthen adaption in those areas affected by drought. It has an Action Plan to reduce plastic waste, its marine and coastal systems are protected by conservation programmes, and it is working hard to restore damaged ecosystems to enhance biodiversity resilience. 

What can we do to mark the day? Let’s take Azerbaijan as our guide. What are we doing individually to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions? If time allows, we could get off the train or bus a stop or two sooner and walk the rest of the way to our destination, or reduce heating in our homes or workplaces. Are we careful with how we use water? What are we doing with our plastic waste? Most Merseyside local authorities now collect hard plastic, and many supermarkets also have soft plastic collection points. Is anything happening locally to protect ecosystems? Many of our parks and nature reserves have ‘Friends of …’ groups who always welcome volunteers: that is not only good for the environment, it has been shown to be beneficial to our physical and mental health. 

Perhaps your school or parish is working towards the Live Simply award: speak to your teams to find out more about their activities. 

For a moment let us return to Pope Francis’ words of 2013. He said, “we are losing the attitude of wonder, contemplation, and listening to creation”. Perhaps this June we can take time to wonder, contemplate, and listen to creation. That may be by simply sitting outdoors somewhere and meditating on what we see. The more we gaze on plants or trees, or listen to birds, or feel the air on our face, the more we’ll engender a sense of wonder. If we try this in a public place, we can gaze on all the passers-by, note how different they are, and recall that each is made in the image and likeness of God. Can there be anything more wonderful to engender an attitude of wonder than that? Sometimes our contemplation and listening can lead us to prayer. 

Lastly, but definitely not least, let us all find time during June to remember the planet and its inhabitants and pray for those hardest hit by the impacts of climate change.

Happy World Environment Day!