Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Lima (Agenzia Fides) - After two weeks of intense negotiations within the United Nations Conference on Climate Change, Cop20, (see Fides 03/12/2014), held in Lima (Peru) from 1 to 12 December, the 196 participating countries approved the document "Appeal from Lima for action on climate change". After strong resistance from the richest countries, considered the most polluting of the planet, the draft, which should become a global agreement to be signed in 2015, during Cop21 to be held in Paris (France), has been ratified, without any concrete proposals.
The note sent to Agenzia Fides by the Peruvian Episcopal Conference reports the joint statement of the Bishops of different continents (America, Asia, Africa and Europe) who were present at the meeting. "Faithful to the evangelical option for the poor, we work closely with the most vulnerable and excluded communities, and we cannot ignore the problems that affect climate. Our message to world leaders and all people of good will is based on the experience and suffering of poor communities", says the first lines of the document.
The statement is an appeal to recognize the importance of involving everyone in the defense of Creation, and to consider issues such as climate change, climate justice, ethical dimension of change, development models, in order to propose concrete points for action. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 16/12/2014)
