A mother’s love mirrors God’s immeasurable and unconditional affection. Despite a child’s flaws, a mother’s heart remains open, accepting and forgiving. Similarly, Mother Earth, our nurturing parent, provides for us unconditionally.

Like a new mother nurturing her child, the Earth has supplied us with everything necessary for our existence since our birth as humans. Through her ecological systems, she offers vital elements such as air, water, warmth, and food. Yet, like ungrateful children, we have demanded more.

Driven by the allure of technological progress and convenience, we have depleted Earth’s resources over centuries — burning fossil fuels for energy, cutting trees and destroying forests for urban development, and producing plastics for ease. These actions have not only exhausted Mother Earth’s resources but also directly influenced its natural processes. Consequently, we now face intensified climate change impacts, exacerbating a plethora of issues, including rising temperatures, droughts, ocean acidification, and rising sea levels — problems that threaten our lives, livelihoods, and future.

Beyond climate change, our harmful activities such as deforestation, urbanization, pollution, and resource degradation inflict deep wounds upon Mother Earth.

According to a May 2024 report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services under the United Nations, nature is diminishing globally at unprecedented rates, resulting in the rapid acceleration of species extinction across various ecosystems. The same report highlights that our actions have substantially altered Earth’s land and marine health.

Crop and livestock production currently occupies about one-third of the world’s land and consumes 75 percent of our freshwater resources. The intensive land use is contributing to degradation, posing a threat to global crop yields valued at $577 billion or P28.85 trillion. Unsustainable fishing activities are impacting roughly 33 percent of the global fish market.

Meanwhile, urban development has doubled and plastic pollution has surged, laying waste in both our lands and waters. Industrial wastes and other toxic materials are being indiscriminately dumped into our oceans, creating over 400 ocean uninhabitable zones. Without tangible and equitable changes, these negative human-induced trends will continue to worsen climate change and global warming, leading to even bigger damages and losses in the future.

While we continue to be thwarted by the many unwanted effects of human-induced climate change, we also see a rising number of people from diverse backgrounds standing up and fighting for Mother Earth. Among them are women, whose maternal instincts to protect and ensure their families’ and children’s survival kick in in the face of worsening climate change effects. These instincts, if anchored correctly, can serve as a springboard for a magnitude of advocacies promoting sustainability, conservation, and planetary stewardship.

Climate change is global, historic, and systemic — an encompassing issue that demands the participation of everyone to be addressed effectively. However, true climate action begins within our homes and communities. And action in the right direction can only happen if grounded in strong values and principles early on in life.

Mothers wield much influence over their families, especially their children, shaping their attitudes and behaviors, their beliefs and convictions. Beginning with the nuclear and extended families, mothers around the world can nurture and grow a generation of eco-conscious children, aware of the awesome gift of creation and the great responsibility of stewardship offering a beacon of hope in our ongoing struggle against climate change.

Mothers are critical in a family ecosystem that instills awareness on climate change, advocates proactive participation in the climate agenda, promotes environmental justice, and teaches sustainable lifestyle choices, can inspire collective action and foster climate resilience. This contribution extends beyond their homes to encompass their communities, and ultimately, their nations.

In our modern world, mothers with their multidimensional roles are rightly leaders for transformative action in the family and beyond.

Our responsibility of protecting and honoring our ecosystems for future generations can be our tribute and commitment to Mother Earth and all mothers around the globe. Just as mothers nurture and protect their young, and just as Mother Earth nurtures and protects us, we, too must do our part to protect our planet for the sake of all the generations to come. In doing so, we not only honor Mother Earth but also uphold the values of love, care, compassion, and stewardship — values that our mothers embody.

Let us all come together and be worthy stewards of our Mother Earth for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all future generations.