EDITORIAL: Welcome to “On The Radar” We are launching this weekly space to strengthen our mission of connecting people, territories, and knowledge. “On The Radar” was created as a tool to serve our community, designed to bridge the gap between global processes and local realities. Here, we will share a curated selection of updates that speak directly to our advocacy priorities: caring for our Common Home, socio-environmental justice, and defending the rights of peoples.
The start of 2026 has brought significant shifts for Integral Ecology. In this special first edition (recapitulating the first fortnight of January), we connect the dots between advancements in ocean protection, the Church’s bold financial strategy, and the outstanding debts in the rural world. Below is our assessment of the year’s start.
Jan 2026 Briefing (1st Fortnight)
1. Biodiversity: A Legal Shield for the Oceans
On the ecosystem conservation front, the year began with a historic milestone: the entry into force of the High Seas Treaty. This agreement establishes, for the first time, a legally binding mechanism to protect marine biodiversity in international waters (beyond national jurisdiction). Organizations such as the FAO have hailed the measure as an essential step for climate resilience, projecting the creation of the first effective protected areas by 2028.
- Read full story (RFI): Historic High Seas Treaty enters into force (ESP)
- Additional Context (FAO): FAO welcomes new treaty on safeguarding marine biological diversity (ESP)
2. Extractivism and Human Rights: The Church Takes Action
Addressing the impacts of extractive industries, the Latin American ecclesial agenda is moving toward ethical coherence with the official launch of the Mining Divestment Platform. Promoted by CELAM and the Iglesias y Minería network, this tool seeks to align the financial assets of Catholic institutions with the defense of territories. Fr. Dario Bossi reinforces this stance, positioning the Church not merely as an observer, but as a “strategic ally” of communities vulnerable to the mining model.
- About the new tool: Mining Divestment Platform officially launched (ESP)
- Analysis by Fr. Dario Bossi: A Church allied with the people against extractivism (ESP)
3. Food Systems: Global Diplomacy vs. Local Praxis
The focus on food security and agroecology presents marked contrasts. At the diplomatic level, Pope Leo reaffirmed the Vatican’s vision of agriculture as an instrument of peace before the IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development). However, within the framework of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, reports from the Southern Cone expose a lack of real public policies to protect rural women, who sustain global food systems. As a hopeful response from the territory, the work of Fundación Licán in Chile stands out. Their agroecological training model demonstrates how to rebuild the social fabric and food sovereignty from the ground up.
- Diplomatic Level (Vatican News): IFAD President: “Agriculture is an instrument of peace” (ESP)
- Critical Analysis (El Grito del Sur): Year of the Woman Farmer and the lack of public policies (ESP)
- Local Experience (Jesuits Chile): Fundación Licán: Agroecology and community (ESP)
4. Theological Background: The Root of Our Action
Finally, to frame this activism, Eduardo Agosta reminds us that Integral Ecology, understood as pastoral work, inescapably requires a “transcendent dimension.” Without this spiritual root, the fight for climate justice loses its horizon of meaning and its capacity for deep transformation.
- Read reflection: Integral ecology as pastoral ministry and its transcendent dimension (ESP)
