In a joint statement ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in November, three international Catholic organisations have stressed the urgent need for action to care for creation. Source: Vatican News.
Members of Pax Christi International, Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE (International cooperation for development and solidarity) released a joint statement titled “Pilgrims of Hope for a Just and Peaceful World”.
The representatives of Catholic organisations around the world dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and care for the environment reiterated “a simple yet urgent truth: there can be no true peace without climate justice, and no climate justice without peace.”
The statement emphasised that the ecological crisis, the fragmentation of the global order, and ongoing extreme poverty are not individual problems, but rather linked in a web of a common global threat.
They organisations said the world is “facing a convergence of mass suffering now and risks of future harm, perpetuated by a political and economic system that is at risk of coming completely undone”.
Referencing Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, the statement explained that these current crises are a result of refusing to consider future generations and the consequences of our actions. If action is not taken immediately to stop this downward spiral, the leaders warn, the planet could face “its darkest hour”.
Current conflicts in the world have already been worsened by climate change. The leaders argued that the rising frequency and intensity of extreme events, together with shifting resource availability and the uninhabitability of land, will result in the large-scale forced displacement of people. This has already occurred in Syria and South Sudan.
Moreover, vulnerable regions will face greater risks, and existing tensions will only grow. As a result, “climate action is not only an environmental imperative, but also a vital component of global peacebuilding”.
The connection between the ever-growing problem of climate change and global security is “not only linked, but also born of the same short-sightedness, immorality and flawed logic.”
The statement challenges society to reimagine global systems and financial institutions, end fossil fuel subsidies, and make community-led solutions a priority. Additionally, there must be a focus on Indigenous knowledge and their right to live on their land.
FULL STORY
Catholic leaders stress climate action is vital to global peace (By Kielce Gussie, Vatican News)
