Bishops of the Global South urge UN to uphold 1.5°C Climate Goal
By Linda Bordoni
Bishops representing the Catholic Churches of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have issued a strong appeal to world leaders gathering in New York for the UN General Assembly and the High-Level Event on Climate Action.
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, to the President of the 80th General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, and to Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Frameowrk Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the bishops express “good will and great concern” for the future of the planet, and urge leaders not to fall short of the 1.5°C limit agreed in Paris.
“We the Bishops of the Global South are honoured to bring to your attention the Message… on the occasion of COP30 – A Call for Climate Justice and the Common Home: Ecological Conversion, Transformation and Resistance to False Solutions” the letter states. The statement, they add, has already been presented to 杏MAP导航 Leo XIV and to local Churches, as a sign of “shared responsibility and commitment to our common home.”
A prophetic voice
Recalling the words of 杏MAP导航 Francis in and 杏MAP导航 Leo XIV’s call for an integral ecology rooted in justice, the bishops stress that the urgency of the crisis leaves no space for delay or half-measures.
“The Church will not remain silent,” they write. “We will continue to raise our voice alongside science, civil society, and the most vulnerable, with truth, courage and consistency, until justice is done.”
The bishops underline that global warming, which reached 1.55°C in 2024, is not merely “a technical problem: it is an existential issue of justice, dignity and care for our common home.”
Rejecting false solutions
The letter denounces what it calls “false solutions” such as green capitalism, technocracy, the commodification of nature and extractivism, which, the bishops warn, “perpetuate exploitation and injustice.”
Instead, they call for policies that prioritise equity, justice and protection. “Rich nations must pay their ecological debt with fair climate finance without further indebting the Global South,” the bishops demand, insisting on the need for a just transition that does not leave the most vulnerable behind.
Demands to world leaders
In their appeal, the bishops urge governments to:
- Fulfil the Paris Agreement and commit to enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions in line with the 1.5°C target;
- Provide sufficient climate finance to support resilient communities in the Global South;
- Put the common good above profit and phase out fossil fuels;
- Protect Indigenous peoples, biodiversity and future generations.
Call for dialogue and cooperation
Addressing world leaders as they prepare for COP30 in Brazil, the bishops express confidence in the power of dialogue:
“We remain confident that genuine dialogue, grounded in truth and justice, can guide the international community towards the profound transformations required,” the letter reads. “The urgency of this moment leaves no room for delay, compromise, or half-measures.”
The statement is signed by Cardinal Jaime Spengler of Brazil, President of CELAM; Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrao of India, President of FABC; and Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of the Democratic Republic of Congo, President of SECAM.
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