Extreme weather is Earth’s ‘chorus of anguish’, says Pope Francis

by

Pope Francis called extreme weather events a “chorus of anguish” from Earth.

In a message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, this Thursday (21), the pontiff called on countries to tackle the climate crisis with the same attention given to other challenges, such as wars and health issues, and said that global warming global harm harms the poor and indigenous people the most.

Francis also said that rich nations have an “ecological debt”, because, for him, they were responsible for generating more pollution in the last two centuries, harming the “music of nature”.

“Tragically, this sweet song is accompanied by a cry of anguish. Or better still: a chorus of cries of anguish. First of all, it is our sister, mother earth, who cries out. let us end our abuses and her destruction,” he wrote.

The appeal was made days before he left for Canada, where he will meet with indigenous people in Iqaluit, one of the parts of North America where temperatures have been rising the fastest.

The Catholic leader also said that the impact of “droughts, floods, hurricanes and increasingly frequent heat waves” hits the poor and indigenous hardest and “causes a cry that rises to the heavens”.

This week, a heat wave sparked wildfires in parts of Europe, with extreme temperatures in countries including the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and Greece. The flames and temperatures above 40ºC put pressure on emergency services, generating new alerts to the international community and leaders around the world about the need to intensify measures against the climate crisis.

the father of the environment

Francisco, who in 2015 wrote an encyclical on environmental protection, also highlighted the role of COP15, the UN summit on biodiversity, to be held in December, in Canada, in the establishment of a new agreement to stop the destruction of ecosystems and the species extinction.

For the pontiff, the conference can offer a clear ethical basis for the necessary changes in favor of biodiversity, with support for conservation and priority for vulnerable populations, including indigenous people.

The pope also called for “effective implementation” of the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the rise in global average temperature to 1.5°C. At a press conference to present the message, Cardinal Michael Czerny, head of the Vatican’s development office, called for an immediate end to the exploration and production of coal, oil and gas and the phasing out of fossil fuel production.

He also supported the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative, a move to end further development of such fuels.

Finally, Francis repeated, “in the name of God”, an appeal he made last year to the mining, oil, forestry, real estate and agribusiness industries to “stop destroying forests, swamps and mountains, stop polluting rivers and seas and stop poisoning food and people”.

You May Also Like

Recommended for you