Pope Francis has called on world leaders to provide “effective responses” to the environmental emergency and “concrete hope” to future generations
Speaking from the Vatican, Pope Francis discussed crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and economic difficulties, urging the world to respond with vision and radical decisions so that the current challenges do not “waste opportunities.”
“We can respond to these crises by retreating into isolationism, protectionism, and exploitation,” the pontiff said, or we can see them as a genuine opportunity for change.
He urged “a renewed sense of shared responsibility for our world,” adding that “each of us – whoever and wherever we may be – can play our own part in changing our collective response to the unprecedented threat of climate change and the degradation of our common home.”
Later, the Pope will meet with US Vice President Joe Biden at the Vatican. Mr. Biden’s domestic climate policies are on hold after his party postponed a vote on his budget proposals.
The message serves as a reminder of Francis’ emphasis on environmental issues throughout his pontificate.
In speeches, he has frequently referred to the climate crisis, and in 2015, he issued an encyclical, or papal document, titled Laudato Si’, which addressed the issue. In the text, titled On Care for Our Common Home, he lamented environmental destruction, emphasized the importance of mitigating measures, and stated unequivocally that climate change was largely caused by humans.
The letter was issued ahead of the 2015 United Nations climate conference in Paris, COP21, and was thought to have some influence in pushing leaders toward an agreement.
It was brought up during discussions, including by the president of Paraguay, who spoke of the Pope’s “dramatic warning that we face a crisis and must protect the world on which we rely for survival.”
Six years later, world leaders are gearing up for this year’s climate summit, COP26, in Glasgow.
With mounting evidence that the Paris Agreement’s commitments to limit global temperature rise to “ideally 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels” are not being met, Pope Francis has refocused his attention on the issue, hoping that his intervention will have a similar impact.
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Climate change is one of the most pressing issues confronting the world today. If we are to avoid further global temperature rises, governments must promise more ambitious reductions in warming gases. The change could occur at the summit in Glasgow. You must keep an eye on the promises made by the world’s largest polluters, such as the United States and China, as well as whether poorer countries receive the assistance they require. Everything in our lives will be altered. Decisions made here may have an impact on our jobs, our homes, what we eat, and how we travel.
Earlier this month, he gathered nearly 40 faith leaders from around the world at the Vatican to sign a joint appeal urging COP26 to keep promises on global warming, carbon neutrality, and support for poorer nations transitioning to clean energy. In exchange, the leaders agreed to educate and inform their followers about the impending climate disaster.
The Pope had indicated to journalists over the summer that he would attend the conference in Glasgow, and that his speech was being written. The Vatican, however, announced at the last minute that the 84-year-old pontiff would not be attending, with no explanation.
That is a setback for the organizers of COP26, who had hoped that his presence would add weight to a summit dubbed “the world’s best last chance to control runaway climate change.”
As a result, this message via the BBC is meant to provide him with guidance from afar.
“Every crisis necessitates vision… to rethink the world’s future,” he said, urging “radical decisions” and a “renewal of shared responsibility for our world.”
“The most important lesson we can draw from these crises is the importance of working together to eliminate borders, barriers, and political walls.”
