The Vatican’s secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin delivered Pope’s message to world leaders at the climate summit in Baku, as negotiations turned to funding for those countries that have contributed least to causing the climate crisis yet face huge costs to address its impacts.
Cardinal Parolin delivered the Pope’s appeal for countries that have contributed most to greenhouse gas emissions to acknowledge the “ecological debt” they owe to others.
“Efforts should be made to find solutions that do not further undermine the development and adaptive capacity of many countries that are already burdened with crippling economic debt,” he said, calling for “a new international financial architecture” that is “based on the principles of equity, justice, and solidarity”.
Pope Francis lamented widespread indifference toward the climate crisis. “This is the real challenge of our century,” he said, emphasising that “indifference is an accomplice to injustice”.
The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) was among the many other bodies and agencies to make a similar appeal.
“It is crucial to invest in clean energy and upgrade infrastructure to address Africa’s energy poverty,” it said in a statement on 14 November, calling for international investment in the continent’s energy transition.
“While some nations are energy exporters to their neighbours or the global market, others face challenges due to insufficient domestic power generation infrastructure. As a result, approximately 600 million people in Africa live without electricity, and nearly 1 billion lack access to clean cooking solutions.”
Religious leaders demand ‘radical’ action at COP29
COP process ‘in need of reform’ says leading expert on faith investment
On Monday, over 200 leaders and organisations from around the world launched an interfaith appeal at the Faith Pavilion in Baku.
“Humanity must reach beyond nationalism to build fit-for-purpose global governance for managing the Earth’s atmosphere – our common climate system,” they said in the document “Protecting Our Common Climate System: Earth Governance for a Sustainable Future”.
It called for recognition of the human causes of the ecological crisis, and pressed for “an urgent reform of the economic system, which maintains a structural dependence on fossil fuels”. It welcomed an initiative to recognise ecocide as a crime under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
Maryknoll participants in Baku called for a generous climate finance commitment and robust funding for the Loss and Damage Fund. Members committed to prayer and fasting and lobbying their national legislators to support environmental policies.
The international Ignatian community issued a global statement making three demands for COP29: an effective Loss and Damage Fund, debt cancellation for climate efforts, and the promotion of renewable energy sources, particularly those that can provide tangible benefits to local communities.
The statement was endorsed by the presidents of the six Jesuit Conferences, numerous provincials and the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network on Ecology (Ecojesuit). Jesuit Missions issued daily briefings from COP29 by through a partner from Mozambique. The Centre Arrupe Madagascar provided feedback through a daily blog on such issues as youth-led forums, and the role of intergenerational relationships in combating climate change.
Hundreds of activists formed a human chain outside the COP29 venue on the Global Day of Action last Saturday. Demonstrators called for more money to be pledged for climate finance.
Last week a letter signed by the former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former UN climate secretary Christiana Figueres and former Irish President Mary Robinson called for “a fundamental overhaul of the COP”. The letter said “we need a shift from negotiation to implementation”.
The former US Vice President Al Gore said that “it’s unfortunate that the fossil fuel industry and the petrostates have seized control of the COP process to an unhealthy degree”. He was referring to more than 1,700 fossil fuel lobbyists attending COP29 – more than the total attendance from the 10 most climate-vulnerable countries.
Cardinal Parolin – Vatican Secretary of State – delivers Pope Francis’ message on climate debt at COP29
Tags: Cardinal Parolin, Financial support for countries worst-affected by the climate crisis, indifference is an accomplice to injustice, Pope joins calls for ‘climate justice’, Religious leaders demand ‘radical’ action at COP29
