Towards COP26: call from Pope and religious leaders for “speedy, responsible and shared action”

“Future generations will never forgive us if we squander” the opportunity to “save our common home”. “We have inherited a garden: we must not leave a desert to our children”. This is the Appeal signed today in the Vatican by about 40 religious leaders representing the world’s main religions who, together with scientists, are attending the meeting “Faith and Science: Towards COP26”. The meeting was organized by the Embassies of Great Britain and Italy to the Holy See in cooperation with the Holy See. These are the main requests to avert the climate crisis, as called for by Pope Francis in his message to participants: the world shall “achieve net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible” to “limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”; “wealthier countries” and “nations with the greatest responsibility” shall take “the lead in reducing their own emissions” and in supporting “vulnerable countries” to “adapt to and to address climate change”; and governments shall urgently “raise their ambitions and their international cooperation” to favour “a transition to clean energy”, “sustainable land use”, “environmentally-friendly” food systems, and “responsible financing”. “We plead with the international community, gathered at COP26, to take speedy, responsible and shared action to safeguard, restore and heal our wounded humanity”, the document says, before ending with a call on “everyone on this planet to join us on this common journey” with a “creative, respectful and courageous action for the sake of the Earth, our common home”. The meeting will continue this afternoon, behind closed doors, at Palazzo Borromeo, which is the seat of the Italian Embassy to the Holy See.
M.Michela Nicolais