When Biden visits the Pope, expect the climate to top the agenda

Before he lands in Glasgow for the highly anticipated United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which kicks off Sunday, President Biden will briefly stop in Vatican City tomorrow to meet with Pope Francis. According to the White House, the two will discuss tackling climate change, among other issues tied to global poverty.  

This gathering between two of the world’s most influential leaders couldn’t come at a more pivotal time. A slew of studies released this year detailed the disasters that lie ahead if we don’t urgently act to counter the causes of climate change. The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report is particularly damning, showing a clear link between human activities and changes to the Earth’s atmosphere. And the latest U.S. intelligence and defense reports detail how climate change increases the risk of destabilization, conflict and migration.  

The good news is that a window of opportunity still exists to do something, although climate experts have made it clear that this decade is critical to avoid the worst impacts. At COP26, the U.S. government has the chance to demonstrate a strong commitment to reducing greenhouse gasses while championing efforts to help vulnerable communities adapt to the new reality.  

It becomes especially good news then, that before arriving in Glasgow, the leader of the free world will hear directly from one of the world’s most vocal environmental advocates.  

Throughout his papacy, the pontiff has been a crusader for environmental justice. Last year marked the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter, Laudato Si — his call-to-action on the environment. “The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all,” he wrote. “At the global level, it is a complex system linked to many of the essential conditions for human life.”  

Laudato Si is pivotal because it makes the important link between poverty and environmental degradation — a link I see first-hand in my job at Catholic Relief Services, the global charity of the U.S. bishops. For years, I’ve witnessed how more frequent and intense storms are decimating communities in Bangladesh and Guatemala; how more prolonged droughts are making it impossible for farmers to grow crops in southern Madagascar and how sea-level rise is incapacitating coastal communities in Vietnam. In fact, the World Bank estimates that climate change will push more than 100 million into poverty by 2030.    

What’s especially disconcerting is the inequality between the wealthier countries that have the resources to cope with climate change and those that don’t. It’s estimated that $70 billion a year is needed for adaptation finance for developing countries, increasing to as high as $300 billion needed by 2030 and $500 billion by 2050.   

With all of this in mind, I am sure Pope Francis will use his time with Biden to remind him that the world’s most vulnerable people are being pushed to the very edge of the climate crisis without a safety net. And that business-as-usual cannot continue. While the Biden administration’s pledge to work with Congress to double climate funds to $11.4 billion per year by 2024 was a welcome announcement, even this commitment falls short of the vast needs.  

While it’s unlikely the two men will talk about specific policies, it would be inspiring if Biden leaves the Vatican with a renewed sense of purpose. Maybe he’ll leave the meeting ready to push the U.S. to do more to meet its fair share of filling the climate finance gap. Or to make sure that at least 50 percent of U.S. climate funding goes directly toward climate adaptation programming. Thankfully, there is no one better placed to give him the motivation to make these changes than Pope Francis. We hope that the messaging sticks, and maybe even spills over to Congress.  

As Pope Francis told a Ted Talk audience last year, “The Earth must be worked and nursed, cultivated and protected. We cannot continue to squeeze it like an orange. And we can say that this — taking care of the Earth —  is a human right.”    

As someone who has visited some of the most resource-deprived regions on Earth, I’ve seen how precarious life can be when you’re living on the edge. Americans are fortunate to have the social, political and economic means to manage and adapt to the inevitable storm to come. Most people living in low-income countries don’t. Especially given our role as the largest historical emitter of greenhouse gasses, it’s up to us as Americans to level the playing field.  

Bill O’Keefe is executive vice president for Mission and Mobilization at Catholic Relief Services (CRS).