Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a message to the 23rd session of the United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, calling for urgent actions in light of the Paris Agreement.
The Ecumenical Patriarch calls on all nations “to recall with introspection and reflect with integrity on the state of our world, but also on where we have come and where we are headed as a global community, especially in light of the urgent call of the Paris Agreement.”
In his message, Bartholomew says that, “This June; prior to the G-20 summit in Hamburg, we endorsed a letter inspired by Mission 2020, “calling on nations to highlight the importance of the 2020 climate turning point for greenhouse-gas emissions.”
On September 1st, the message continues, “we co-signed a declaration with Pope Francis, affirming that there can be no enduring resolution to climate change unless the response is concerted and collective.”
The message continues saying that, “while it is clear that the ecological crisis is constantly escalating in the name of growth and development, humanity remains oblivious to the global appeals for radical change in our attitudes toward creation.”
“…today, more and more people recognize that religious consciousness and environmental science are alike concerned with ultimate questions—namely, with the way that we are shaping the destiny of humankind, the planet, and all creation,” the message further says.
However, Bartholomew argues, that even though many recognize that “climate change (is) arguably the greatest crisis that humanity has faced, there is much resistance to any call for change,” while “some continue to ignore the signs of our times with unprecedented ice melting, extreme weather patterns, and devastating impact on world poverty.”
Bartholomew calls all faith communities and state leaders to work on convincing governments and corporations to intensify efforts to protect the earth. The Ecumenical Patriarch argues that this is no time to procrastinate but time to take urgent action to protect “this planet that we call home.”
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