A mother's plea for the future of the planet - Opinion May 19, 2025
- Ana Cunha-Busch
- May 18
- 2 min read
Updated: May 19
A mother's plea for the future of the planet - Opinion
Being a mother changes everything.
It changes your rhythm, your body, your fears, and, above all, it changes the way you look at the world.
Before Luna, I was already deeply concerned about climate injustice. I had already dedicated my days, my energy, and my hope to developing solutions so that more people could have access to clean water, dignity, and a healthy environment in which to live. I was an entrepreneur with a purpose, with my heart beating for a fairer planet.
But after she was born, something clicked inside me. The fight was no longer just for the present and for the communities that today face the most severe impacts of the climate crisis. It also became—and perhaps now, above all—for what is yet to come. For her. For Luna. For all the children who are growing up in a world that, if it does not change radically, may not offer them the chance to live with the bare minimum: breathable air, clean water, safe food, and stable shelter.
Being a mother on a planet in collapse is not just difficult. It is distressing. It means making plans with a heavy heart, dreaming of a future for her while news of disasters, droughts, floods, and extreme heat pile up in the palm of my hand. It means wishing that she will experience the freedom to run barefoot on wet earth, play in the rain without fear, and drink water without it being a privilege.
The time for doubt is over. The time for waiting is over, too.
Climate collapse is not a distant possibility, it is an unequal and cruel present that hits the most vulnerable first and threatens everyone's tomorrow.
And that is why I cannot, will not, and do not want to stop. Every project I have conceived, every partnership I have built, every voice I try to echo at the decision-making tables, all of this carries the weight and love of those who want to ensure that the future is not just a beautiful idea, but a possible reality.
Fighting for climate justice is, for me, an act of maternal love. It is like cradling the world in my lap, trying to heal the wounds opened by years of neglect and omission. It is resisting, even when tired. It is caring, even when afraid. It is insisting, even in the face of indifference.
I know that Luna will grow up watching me work. She will see me worried, emotional, and often outraged. But I also hope that she will see me as hopeful. And understand that what drives me—what has always driven me—is the desire to leave her and all children a planet that is worth living on.
This is a mother's plea.
Not out of charity, but out of responsibility.
Not out of vanity, but out of urgency.
Not for myself, but for her.
And for all of us.
With gratitude, 🌿🌍
Anna Luisa Beserra
Founder, Sustainable Development & Water For All
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