UN Secretary-General calls violent weather a ‘breathtaking injustice’
By Bezawit Bogale
“We are witnessing real-time climate collapse — the result of the greenhouse gases we are spewing into the atmosphere,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a video message to the Global Climate Crisis Symposium, hosted by the Siena College Laudato Si’ Center for Ecology in Albany, New York.
The Secretary-General pointed to the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl across the Caribbean, extreme heat forcing school closures in Africa and Asia, and widespread coral bleaching around the globe due to unprecedented ocean temperatures.
Saint Francis patron saint of ecology
Quoting Pope Francis' teachings on Saint Francis, the Secretary-General remarked that Saint Francis "shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace."
“The patron saint of ecology has much to teach us about making peace with nature,” he said.
Referring to Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si', the UN Secretary-General emphasized that human beings are "custodians" of creation, not "masters" over it.
"Floods and droughts are fueling instability, driving conflict, and forcing people from their homes," he said. “Though climate chaos is everywhere, it doesn’t affect everyone equally. The very people most at risk are those who did the least to cause the crisis."
“This is breathtaking injustice — and it is just the beginning,” he asserted.
Climate justice for the vulnerable
Mr. Guterres also said humanity must “stop intentionally destroying our natural world and its gifts, and we must protect people from the destruction we have unleashed."
"We must deliver climate justice for the vulnerable,” he added.
He urged developed countries to uphold their promises and work towards limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as they pledged in the landmark international climate pact in 2015, known as the Paris Agreement.
"The expansion of fossil fuels and the construction of new coal plants are inconsistent with the 1.5°C target. They must cease," he said.
Mr. Guterres asserted that the world is no longer a place where the wealthy are sheltered in air-conditioned bubbles while the rest of humanity suffers from lethal weather in unlivable conditions.
He urged leaders to take urgent action to protect communities from the impacts of climate destruction and recommended reforms to multilateral development banks to enable them to provide developing countries with significantly more low-cost capital.
Laudato Si’ Franciscan Network
Mr. Guterres expressed appreciation for the young people and religious communities who are at the forefront of climate action, noting especially that the “Laudato Si’ Franciscan Network can be an important part of these efforts."
The UN Secretary-General concluded his message with the words of Pope Francis.
“Let us choose the future,” he said. “May we be attentive to the cry of the earth, may we hear the plea of the poor, and may we be sensitive to the hopes of the young and the dreams of children.”
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