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Japan Times
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Pope Francis saw defending the climate as an urgent priority for the world
When Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013, his vision for human justice and equality was so entwined with nature that he chose the papal name Francis, honoring the patron saint of ecology. That belief, and how passionately he advocated for it, influenced the course of global climate and energy policy and in particular the 2015 Paris Agreement. Francis' 2015 papal letter or encyclical, Laudato Si' ("Praise Be to You'), was the first devoted to global warming. It tied together climate science, wealth inequality, consumption (what he lamented as a "throwaway culture') and technology in a 40,000-word missive shared with the world's more than 1 billion Catholics. His words could be blunt: "The Earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,' he wrote. He continued to speak and write on the topic, telling oil and gas executives in 2018 that transitioning to clean energy was a "duty' to humanity and denouncing climate denial in another document, Laudate Deum. Laudato Si' was "a major contribution to the global mobilization that resulted in the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change,' U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said following Francis's death last Monday at the age of 88. Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the U.N. group overseeing climate diplomacy, described the late pontiff as "a towering figure of human dignity, and an unflinching global champion of climate action as a vital means to deliver it.' Released publicly in June 2015, Laudato Si' launched Francis into what was then the world's most pressing climate debate. With nearly 200 nations due in Paris that fall to negotiate a critical pact on greenhouse gas pollution, the first pope from the Global South harnessed his reach to push for an aggressive deal. Laurence Tubiana, an economist and French diplomat who was president of the 2015 talks, recounted in a 2021 essay how involved Francis was with heads of state and delegations. Diplomats reached out directly to him to help try and bring Nicaragua, one of the few holdouts, into the pact. Nearly all countries agreed to an accord in December, and it became the global framework for governments, cities, companies, investors and communities to develop and deploy climate policies. (The U.S. left the Paris Agreement earlier this year.) Oscar Soria, co-CEO of The Common Initiative, an economics and environmental think tank, first met Bergoglio as a journalist in Buenos Aires in the mid-1990s and kept up with him over the years. Soria says the pact would not exist in its final form without Francis. Its preamble addresses climate justice, intergenerational equity and the rights of Indigenous peoples — all central to Francis's platform. That they were included despite being absent from early drafts, Soria attributes to Francis' influence creating "moral urgency' among diplomats. "Those elements made the Paris Agreement a moral and ethical imperative,' he said. "The Paris Agreement has a soul because he put that soul there.' Pope Francis meets climate activist Greta Thunberg at the Vatican in April 2019. | Vatican Media / via REUTERS As much as he energized climate advocates inside and outside the Catholic Church, Francis's criticism of capitalism, business and technology led conservative constituencies to balk at the political implications of his work. A study that analyzed more than 12,000 columns written by U.S. Catholic bishops found that many were either silent about climate change or distanced themselves from either the problem itself or Laudato Si'. Only a third of U.S. Catholics are familiar with the encyclical, according to a March 2024 Georgetown University survey. Yet 32 U.S. dioceses have taken on the Laudato Si' Action Platform, a seven-year commitment to become more sustainable. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops held a session on the letter in November, for the first time since shortly after its publication, to gather ideas to mark its 10th anniversary this year. Laudato Si' Movement, a U.S.-based nonprofit that operates in about 140 countries, launched as the Global Catholic Climate Movement shortly before the encyclical was published and changed its name in 2021. In the decade since its founding, the organization has trained some 20,000 people in a monthslong certification process to become local leaders. Some critics have cast climate change "as something that divides people,' said Reba Elliott, strategy director for Laudato Si' Movement. "At the same time, there is a big constituency of Catholics in the U.S. and beyond who see that climate change is an issue that is connected with the core teachings of the faith.' While hospitalized for pneumonia in March, Francis wrote a message to the national conference of bishops in Brazil, which will host the 30th U.N. climate talks this fall. He lauded the group's effort to launch a campaign before the COP30 summit starts, so that "nations and international organizations can effectively commit themselves to practices that help overcome the climate crisis.' Those invigorated by Francis's climate work expect his commitment will endure, whoever succeeds him. "Ten years is the blink of an eye in church time,' Elliott said. "But a lot has been accomplished so far, and it really shows that Pope Francis was speaking a message that many people want to hear and many people have responded to.'
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Global leaders discuss $200 billion proposal with long-term economic consequences: 'This could be a historic moment'
World leaders are meeting in Rome to determine how to fund the ambitious goal of halting nature loss by 2030. Proposed is a $200 billion annual investment in biodiversity conservation that could shape environmental and economic policies for decades to come. In 2022, countries reached a breakthrough agreement — the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework — committing to stop the destruction of nature within this decade. However, one major question remained: Who pays for it? The first attempt to answer that question in Colombia last year resulted in the creation of the Cali Fund, which would collect payments from businesses that profit from nature's genetic resources. But broader funding plans failed to materialize, with wealthier nations hesitant to commit substantial grants or low-interest loans, especially amid global economic uncertainties. As leaders reconvene in Rome from Feb. 25-27, there is renewed hope for progress. While major public finance pledges remain uncertain, the conference is expected to bring greater transparency on biodiversity funding — an essential step toward securing meaningful commitments. The urgency behind this deal is hard to ignore. According to the World Wildlife Fund, global wildlife populations have plummeted by 73% since 1970. In the absence of reliable financial resources, the biodiversity crisis will only worsen, which could threaten ecosystems that support agriculture, clean water, and climate stability. Beyond environmental benefits, investing in nature makes economic sense. Globally, populations rely on fisheries and pollinators to produce food, with some studies estimating that biodiversity loss could cost the world economy $2.7 trillion annually by 2030. Funding conservation now is not just about protecting the planet — it's about securing long-term economic resilience. Later this year, leaders will also meet at Brazil's global climate summit, where they can form a more comprehensive approach to addressing global environmental challenges. Oscar Soria, co-CEO of The Common Initiative, believes the moment is pivotal. "This could be a historic moment if they choose ambition," he said. "The question is whether they will fight for the future like gladiators or let this opportunity slip away." While uncertainties remain, the push for sustainable funding solutions is growing. If countries can align on financing biodiversity, this could be a turning point in protecting the natural world — and ensuring a stable future for us all. Could America stop using oil and gas by 2050? For sure No way Only certain states could I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Boston Globe
25-02-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
In Rome, talks to protect Earth's biodiversity resume with money topping the agenda
But two weeks turned out to be not enough time to get everything done. Advertisement The Cali talks followed the historic 2022 COP15 accord in Montreal, which included 23 measures aimed at protecting biodiversity. Those included putting 30 percent of the planet and 30 percent of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030, known as the Global Biodiversity Framework. 'Montreal was about the 'what' — what are we all working towards together?' said Georgina Chandler, head of policy and campaigns for the Zoological Society London. 'Cali was supposed to focus on the 'how' — putting the plans and the financing in place to ensure we can actually implement this framework.' 'They eventually lost a quorum because people simply went home,' said Linda Krueger of The Nature Conservancy, who is in Rome for the two days of talks. 'And so now we're having to finish these last critical decisions, which are some of the the nitty gritty decisions on financing, on resource mobilization and on the planning and monitoring and reporting requirements under the Global Biodiversity Framework.' The overall financial aim was to achieve $20 billion a year in the fund by 2025, and then $30 billion by 2030. So far, only $383 million had been pledged as of November, from 12 nations or sub-nations: Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Province of Québec, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Participants will discuss establishing a 'global financing instrument for biodiversity,' intended to effectively distribute the money raised. And a big part of the talks will be about raising more money. Advertisement Chandler and Krueger both said the finance points at Colombia's talks were particularly contentious. 'It's really about how do we collect the money and how do we get it distributed fairly, get it to the ground where it's needed most, so that that's really the core issue,' said Krueger. Oscar Soria, chief executive of The Common Initiative, a think tank specializing in global economic and environmental policy, was pessimistic about raising a great deal more money. 'We are completely off track in terms of achieving that money,' Soria said. Key sources of biodiversity finance are shrinking or disappearing, he said. 'What was supposed to be a good Colombian telenovela in which people will actually bring the right resources, and the happy ending of bringing their money, could actually end up being a tragic Italian opera, where no one actually agrees to anything and everyone loses,' Soria said. Susana Muhamad, Colombia's former environment minister and the COP16 president, said she is hopeful for 'a good message from Rome.' 'That message is that still, even with a very fragmented geopolitical landscape, with a world increasingly in conflict, we can still get an agreement on some fundamental issues,' Muhamad said in a statement. 'And one of the most important is the need to protect life in this crisis of climate change and biodiversity.' Global wildlife populations have plunged on average by 73 percent in 50 years, according to an October report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London. 'Biodiversity is basically essential to our livelihoods and well-being,' Chandler said. 'It's essential to the the air we breathe, the water we drink, rainfall that food systems rely on, protecting us from increasing temperatures, and increasing storm occurrences as well.' Advertisement Chandler said deforestation in the Amazon has far-reaching impacts across South America, just as it does in the Congo Basin and other major biodiverse regions worldwide. 'We know that has an impact on rainfall, on food systems, on soil integrity in other countries. So it's not just something that's kind of small and isolated. It's a widespread problem,' she said.
