Pope Francis has met with World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo for an audience in which they discussed urgency of concerted efforts to address climate change and to take climate action.
“It’s very moving to be in front of such a great spiritual leader,” said Celeste Saulo after the audience at the Vatican. “It is clear that Pope Francis shares our concerns about climate change and its impacts at the intersection of climate change and inequalities”.
Celeste Saulo has just returned from the UN Climate Change Conference, COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, where WMO announced that 2024 is on track to be the world’s hottest year on record and temporarily hit the 1.5°C above pre-industrial times.
Greenhouse gas levels, which drive climate change, are at record levels. Sea level rise is accelerating, threatening coastal populations. Glacier retreat is unprecedented – damaging ecosystems and threatening long term water security for hundreds of millions of people. Extreme weather events – including devastating floods, persistent droughts, searing heatwaves and wildfires, have caused major loss of life and livelihoods around the world.
“It’s about how we care together for those who are most vulnerable,” said Celeste Saulo after the audience.
Continue reading at WMO