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As COP27 opens, one in three Catholics in the UK says the Government is doing too little to support poorer countries to tackle climate change.
A YouGov poll commissioned by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod) shows nearly six out of ten Catholics feel the Government has done too little to tackle climate change in the last year.
20 percent of Catholics and 24 percent of Christians think the Government is committed to its net zero target and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
One of those hoping for urgent action at an international level is UK bishop John Arnold.
“It is vital that steps are taken to limit global temperatures,” he said just before COP27 opened. The conference runs from 6 -18 November.
In a statement prepared in consultation with Cafod, Arnold says it’s our Christian duty to protect our planet for future generations.
“Pope Francis tells us in his encyclical Laudato Si’ that our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with God – to fail to do so damages our relationship with God.”
Arnold says he will be praying for world leaders that they can develop solutions to the urgent challenge.
“The planet is in danger,” he says.
“Recent scientific reports show we are still off track to keeping us all safe and we know it is the poorest communities in our world who are suffering most from a crisis they did not cause.
“No more so than our brothers and sisters in East Africa, who are experiencing the worst drought for 40 years. This has left many millions on the cusp of starvation.
“We need concrete action to keep us within a 1.5 degree temperature rise,” Arnold says.
“We need to focus on investing in renewable energy and move away from fossil fuels. At COP27, we need action to shift to a food system which does not harm our planet and has feeding all people nutritious food at its heart.
“We know that the world faces a financial crisis but we hope that governments can come to a solution where those most in need are put at the top of the agenda, with those who have caused the climate crisis providing their fair share.
“Pope Francis reminded us that the climate is a common good belonging to all and meant for all…”
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is also speaking out about the urgent need for climate justice.
“The climate emergency is an existential global threat that requires a global response”, he says.
African Archbishop Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa agrees.
“The solutions to this crisis must not continue the business-as-usual approach … at the expense of the world’s poor.”
After initially saying he’d skip the conference, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has changed his mind and is attending the COP27 climate change summit in Egypt.
Over the next two weeks, the eyes of the world will be on the world leaders discussing the shared challenge the climate crisis presents.
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