Pope Francis has demanded that world leaders make “radical decisions” during the upcoming COP26 global climate change summit.
In a special message recorded for BBC the Pope called on world leaders meeting at the UN climate conference in Glasgow to stop the “degradation of our common home”.
He said they must provide “effective responses” to the environment emergency and offer “concrete hope” to future generations.
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BBC reports: Speaking from the Vatican for BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, the Pope talked of crises including the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and economic difficulties, and urged the world to respond to them with vision and radical decisions, so as not to “waste opportunities” that the current challenges present.
“We can confront these crises by retreating into isolationism, protectionism and exploitation,” the pontiff said, “or we can see in them a real chance for change.”
He evoked the need for “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.”
The Pontiff is due to meet US President Joe Biden at the Vatican later. Mr Biden’s domestic climate policies are yet to pass through the US Congress.
The message is a reminder of the emphasis Francis has placed on environmentalism throughout his pontificate.
He has frequently evoked the climate crisis in speeches, and in 2015 published an encyclical, or papal document, called Laudato Si’ focusing on the issue. In the text, subtitled On Care for our Common Home, he decried environmental destruction, stressed the need to take mitigating measures and gave an unambiguous acceptance that climate change was largely manmade.
The letter was issued before the 2015 UN climate conference in Paris, COP21, and was seen as having some impact on pushing leaders towards an agreement.
It was evoked during discussions, including by the president of Paraguay, who spoke of the Pope’s “dramatic warning that we face a crisis and need to protect the world upon which we rely for life”.
Six years on, world leaders are preparing to gather in Glasgow for this year’s climate summit, COP26.
Niamh Harris
Pope, go peddle your demands to India and China first and see their reactions to your demands.
let us work on stopping the priest molesting the little boys first….?
The Pope sees a scam as a top priority and ignores a systemic horror tragedy that is destroying the church. He probably thinks that the Global Warming Scam is a good outreach program. If he supports it, maybe they will join the Catholic Church. Fat chance. The Global Warming fanatics prey to “Mother Earth” (reverting to Paganism), so they will never listen to him anyway. And the priests who are molesting the children will not change their behavior, no matter how many “reminders” the Church gives them.
the boy that cried wolf and turned out to be a jackal
i demand radical change on religion
The best way to stop the degradation of our home is by teaching people to stop reproducing like rabbits and start acting like intelligent animals instead of cash donors for autocratic leaders.
Now the Pope has become a scientist pastor?
BINGO
But when you walk in Beijing & come home and remove your shoes, your socks are covered with creosote. Then we blame the socks? Boy oh boy-the nwo certainly knows how to manipulate.
He knows the US makes 90% of pollution.So he is told.
Carbon based energy is renewable. Plants like gasoline.
I’d like to see the pope on the end of a rope.
People in power haven’t got a clue.
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