Pope: A lot of talk, but little is done about climate change

Francis writes to the UN Climate Conference in Madrid. 4 years on from the signing of the Paris agreement the awareness of climate change " is still rather weak, unable to respond adequately to that strong sense of urgency for rapid action called for by the scientific data at our disposal." And current studies "show how far words are from concrete actions".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The international community in the face of a "growing awareness" of the urgency to act to combat the negative consequences of climate change, we must ask ourselves if there is the political will to allocate for this purpose "more human resources , financial and technological ”. Pope Francis writes in a message to COP25, the UN Conference on the climate of Madrid, which was read by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

"Tthe current commitments made by States to mitigate and adapt to climate change are far from those actually needed to achieve the goals set by the Paris Agreement".

4 years after the signing of the agreement, the Pope notes, the awareness of climate change "is still rather weak, unable to respond adequately to that strong sense of urgency for rapid action called for by the scientific data at our disposal". And current studies "show how far words are from concrete actions".

"From this perspective, we must seriously ask ourselves if there is the political will to allocate with honesty, responsibility and courage, more human, financial and technological resources to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, as well as to help the poorest and most vulnerable populations who suffer from them the most”.

Instead, the political will to "refocus financial and economic investments toward those areas that truly safeguard the conditions of a life worthy of humanity on a “healthy” planet for today and tomorrow" is "necessary".

"We are facing - warns the message - a “challenge of civilization” in favour of the common good and of a change of perspective that places this same dignity at the centre of our action, which is clearly expressed in the “human face” of climate emergencies. There remains a window of opportunity, but we must not allow it to close. We need to take advantage of this occasion through our responsible actions in the economic, technological, social and educational fields, knowing very well how our actions are interdependent”.

"Young people today show a heightened sensitivity to the complex problems that arise from this “emergency”. We must not place the burden on the next generations to take on the problems caused by the previous ones. Instead, we should give them the opportunity to remember our generation as the one that renewed and acted on - with honest, responsible and courageous awareness - the fundamental need to collaborate in order to preserve and cultivate our common home”.

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