Pope Francis Presses ‘Urgent’ Action On Climate Change Ahead Of Key Summit, Biden Meeting - Forbes

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Topline

World leaders must take “radical” steps to tackle climate change when they meet at the pivotal COP26 climate summit next week, Pope Francis said in a message broadcast on BBC’s Radio 4 Friday, underscoring a central issue of his papacy ahead of an anticipated meeting with the U.S. President Joe Biden, whose ambitious climate agenda has stalled back home.

Key Facts

World leaders gathering in Glasgow, Scotland for the COP26 summit must “provide effective responses” to the crisis and “offer concrete hope to future generations,” Pope Francis said in the broadcast, which was recorded in Italian and translated in an English voiceover.

The twin crises of climate and Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted vulnerabilities and doubts in how current social and economic systems are organized, the Pope said, but offer the opportunity to “rethink the future of the world” and “reassess our common purpose.”

The pontiff called for a “renewed sense of shared responsibility” for the world, but recognized “radical decisions… are not always easy.”

The Pope decried responses of “isolationism, protectionism and exploitation” to tackle the crises, emphasizing cooperation and common purpose as the only way “towards a brighter horizon.”

What To Watch For

The address comes just hours before the pontiff is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden at the Vatican. The two leaders—among the most prominent Catholics in the world—are expected to discuss the climate emergency, the Covid-19 pandemic, poverty, migration and other major world issues. The meeting will be the pair’s fourth, according to the White House.

Key Background

Pope Francis has made the climate emergency a key issue of his papacy, speaking out in an increasingly urgent manner over time. The pontiff had been expected—though not confirmed—to attend the COP26 summit in Glasgow to show his support for the issue, though the Vatican ruled this out in early October. The Vatican’s contingent will instead be led by Cardinal Parolin, its secretary of state, according to the BBC. The Pope is not the only leader who will be missing the conference. Buckingham Palace announced Queen Elizabeth II, scheduled to host a reception for world leaders, would not be attending following the monarch’s hospitalization in mid October. China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will also not be attending the summit, a major blow as leaders try to build a workable consensus to tackle the climate crisis.