Pope Francis has urged political and economic leaders to show courage and long-range vision, hours after the Cop26 climate change talks ended in compromise on how to combat global warming.
Speaking to the faithful in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Sunday, Francis said the “cry of the poor, united to the cry of the Earth, resounded in the last days” at the conference in Glasgow.
“I encourage all those who have political and economic responsibilities to act immediately with courage and farsightedness,” he said.
“At the same time, I invite all persons of goodwill to carry out active citizenry to care for the common house,” referring to planet Earth.
The pontiff did not comment on the outcome of the two weeks of UN talks.
Nearly 200 nations agreed to a compromise deal aimed at keeping alive a global warming target. But a last-minute change diluted crucial language about the use of coal, a fossil fuel whose use is the biggest single source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Francis has made attention to the Earth’s environment a major plank of his papacy, dedicating an encyclical, or major document, to the moral imperative of responsibly protecting the planet.
