Commemorating the 98th International Day of Cooperatives: Cooperatives and Climate Action

Twenty-nine days separate the celebration of World Environment Day, June 5, which had the theme of biodiversity under the motto "Time for Nature", from the celebration of the International Day of Cooperatives, July 5, whose motto this year is "Cooperatives and Climate Action".

Two important events that complement and improve each other through the timely invitation of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), which seeks to raise awareness, think, recover and strengthen constructive attitudes in favor of sustainable cooperative development that cares and improves the environment.

This celebration must have a special meaning for cooperative companies that have acquired great relevance in the business world, becoming important socioeconomic entities in the construction of a dynamic local/regional development articulated with the territory to generate greater income, equitable distribution of wealth and reduction conflicts of interest.

Its economic relevance is accompanied by a business matrix whose main component is the environment. From a systemic conception, it is cohesive and connected by the criterion of cooperative identity, with the economic, social and governance components. Hence the obligation to deepen this commitment in all decisions and manage it in the best way for positive changes.

It is necessary to understand that the environmental component is not an obstacle to sustainable development, on the contrary, it is part of the solution.

Today, traversed by the painful health crisis caused by Covid-19, we face new situations that we must resolve taking into account the environmental signs and what they mean for our future, to grow and achieve a good life.

This severe warning of the global pandemic tells us that there is a close link between pandemic problems and the environmental crisis and that people’s pressure on nature is increasing the occurrence of epidemics.

For this reason, it seems important to us to add and link globally the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations agenda for 2030, and in particular those related to the planet (6. Drinking water and sanitation; 13. Take urgent measures to combat climate change and its effects; 14. Conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and 15. Protecting, restoring and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, carrying out sustainable forest management, combating desertification, stopping and reversing land degradation and curb the loss of biological diversity), with cooperative thinking and action accelerating their awareness and working on a synergy system.

It is evident that there are sectors and activities of the cooperative movement with greater intensity, scale and link with the environment, but increasing the scope and commitment is a responsibility that requires everyone’s action, because with the environment we cannot do whatever comes to mind or is more profitable. Cooperatives must produce and provide their services with environmental criteria and certainly think and design open innovation and management processes in harmony with natural resources.

Regarding the preservation of natural assets, the cooperative movement and the different branches of activity, we must be concerned and deal with real and complex problems, such as the loss of biodiversity, care for the soil, erosion and desertification processes, global warming , gas emissions, decarbonization of the economy, air and water pollution, indiscriminate cutting of trees, forests and jungles, disappearance of natural areas and wetlands. It is essential to keep in mind the limits that nature imposes on economic development and the relationship between ecological and social crises.

Also this year, and at the end of May, we celebrated and shared - from the 16th to the 24th of May - the 5th Anniversary of the Encyclical Laudato Sí, (praise be you), which is an ecological document and a social navigation letter on how to take care of the environment, protection of life and criticism of consumerism, in which Pope Francis reminds us "… the common home of all, where we are all part of and take care of it…" and tells us that "... the land is between the most abused poor ... ". Given the problems of Covid-19, which does not represent something promising for the environment and the challenges we will have to face, today the Pope asks us to be great and good stewards of nature and to show courage in innovation, experimenting with new solutions and exploring new paths (Pope Francis, Life after the pandemic, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, May 2020, page 14).

Taking care of the environment is not an open debate, it is a construction, a mandate to "take care now" of "tomorrow". In this 98th international day of cooperatives and the environment, we must raise awareness, deepen, implement and sustain our commitment to daily action. Because in this construction, the values of cooperation are being put at stake.

It is time to show wills, open intense and documented dialogues and develop clear political actions to reconstruct and reconnect the relationship between man and nature in the world and in Argentina, with cooperatives being an excellent two-way bridge to do so associatively, in democracy and sustainability.