Story at a glance
- Ahead of the COP26 Climate Summit, religious leaders, including Pope Francis, issued a statement urging governments to take more ambitious action against climate change.
- Signatories intend to educate their congregations on climate change prevention efforts.
Catholic Church leader Pope Francis, along with scores of other religious heads, cosigned a plea addressed to governments around the world urging for stronger action against climate change, in addition to making their own commitments within each of their religious institutions.
Presented ahead of the COP26 Climate Summit, the letter reportedly equates preserving the environment to keeping the world God created intact for future generations.
“We have inherited a garden; we must not leave a desert to our children,” the letter reads.
Forty leaders, including Pope Francis, from various religions were part of the presentation where the letter debuted, titled “Faith and Science: An Appeal for COP26.” They were joined by leading scientists who implored heads of state to prohibit an increase in global temperatures by 1.5 degrees — the key tenant included in the Paris Agreement, a global climate pledge.
Faith leaders, including representatives from the Christian denominations, both Sunni and Shi’a Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism and Jainism, also made their own commitments to fighting climate change. Educating church members and participating in public debates over the effects of climate change are two of the new initiatives, along with supporting sustainable development within their respective communities.
“Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to protect our common home,” the pledge continues.
The pledge was handed to COP26 President-Designate Alok Sharma, who applauded the effort.
“We must all hear the voices of those most affected by climate change and I hope people of faith will continue to be a key part of this dialogue as we work together to drive forward climate action,” Sharma said.
Pope Francis in particular has vocalized support for sustainability movements in the past. In April, he issued a message encouraging members of the Church and other civilians alike to do their part to protect the environment.
“We need to ensure that the environment is cleaner, purer and that it is conserved. We must care for nature so that nature may care for us,” he said in the Earth Day statement.
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