LONDON: Pope Francis on Friday said in a message released before the COP26 summit that the leaders must respond to “urgent” in the climate crisis.
“The political decision makers who will meet at COP26 in Glasgow, are required to urgently provide an effective response to the current ecological crisis,” Pope said in a message played on the BBC radio, translated from Italy.
He added that this would “offer concrete expectations for future generations”.
He concluded by emphasizing that each individual can play a role in “Changing our collective response to the threat of unprecedented climate change and home degradation with us”.
The Pope earlier this month joined nearly 40 religious leaders in appeal to government leaders in COP26 for “urgent, radical and responsible actions” to curb greenhouse gases drastically.
The 84-year-old Pope will not go to crisis talks that aim to fight climate emergencies.
The Vatican sent a delegation led by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Francis will meet several world leaders when they attend the G20 Summit in Rome before heading to COP26.
The Pope will hold an audience with US President Joe Biden, who is a trained Catholic, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday.
The next day he will meet President India Narendra Modi for the first time.
Pope called for the ‘urgent’ response to the climate crisis at COP26
