Global experts and leaders convene for Vatican climate summit
Scientists, regional and local leaders and experts from universities around the world gather at the Vatican for a summit titled “From the Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience,” organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. social Sciences.
By Thaddeus Jones
Experts and leaders from around the world are gathering at the Vatican for a summit dedicated to the climate crisis affecting the planet, with a particular focus on how to manage and respond effectively. That of the Vatican Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences host the three-day summit entitled “From the climate crisis to climate resilience”.
Share ideas and solutions
The May 15-17 meeting will bring together experts in the field of climate change as well as city mayors and regional government leaders tackling its effects. They come from the Americas, Asia and Africa. Researchers from universities around the world also participate. All bring their own presentations to the meeting sessions taking place in Vatican City.
Promoting climate resilience
Summit participants recognize the severity of the climate crisis facing the world and how it will worsen over the coming decades as global warming exceeds the danger threshold of 1.5° Celsius by the early 2030s. Although this increase is expected to peak by the second half of the century in response to global efforts to reduce the use of heat-trapping pollutants, other areas must be urgently addressed for “climate resilience”. This concept examines how humanity can manage, adapt and survive the extreme effects of climate change for a safer, healthier, more equitable and sustainable world.
Act, adapt, manage
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences of the Vatican, the only supranational academy of its type in the world, has the mission “to honor pure science wherever it is found, to ensure its freedom and to encourage research for the progress of science”. In 2022, he launched a new climate resilience initiative bringing together researchers, policymakers and faith leaders to better understand the scientific and societal challenges of climate change and recommend solutions for resilient people and ecosystems. The concept of climate resilience is at the heart of discussions at the three-day summit which aim to implement a three-point strategy: mitigation efforts to reduce climate risks; coping strategies to deal with unavoidable risks; and a societal transformation that promotes continued mitigation and adaptation measures.
Working in solidarity
Summit participants will focus on related environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and global inequality, while discussing and proposing solutions and approaches to manage and mitigate the effects of these realities. Summit organizers know that this requires a multidisciplinary approach and partnerships involving researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, scientific experts, community and religious leaders, NGOs and the general public.
Adopt a global climate resilience protocol
These efforts will culminate at the conclusion of the Summit with a global protocol on climate resilience signed by all participants. Like the Montreal Protocol, the document will provide guidelines and actions for climate resilience. The protocol will then be submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be shared with nations around the world.
Respect the dignity of human life
In his Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate DeumPope Francis, highlighted the dangers facing the world due to the impact of climate change, particularly affecting the most vulnerable people, as well as the urgent need to work together to confront the crisis.
