As United Nations leaders gathered at the climate summit in Peru last week, Pope Francis and bishops from around the world called for a global climate treaty and an end to the use of fossil fuels, says Catholic EarthCare Australia.
“We can find adequate solutions only if we act together and unanimously,” Pope Francis said a written statement to Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Peru's minister of the environment and host president of the climate summit," CEA said in a statement released yesterday.
He encouraged the leaders to make the right decisions quickly, as they "affect all of humanity, especially the poorest and future generations.” He also urged them to work together, as "an effective fight against global warming will be possible only with a collective and responsible answer," the statement continued.
The Bishops have released a statement saying they believe it is necessary for them to “accompany the political process” in order to protect frontline communities suffering from the impacts of climate change. This is the first time that a group of senior Church figures have spoken out about climate negotiations.
“We express an answer to what is considered God's appeal to take action on the urgent and damaging situation of global climate warming” the Bishops said in their statement released on December 9. “We are convinced that everyone has a capacity to contribute to overcome climate change and to choose sustainable lifestyles”.
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Pope Francis and bishops call for binding global climate agreement
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