Vatican Pledges to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 28%

The Vatican aims to eliminate more than a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions it produces over the next decade, according to plans it has submitted to the United Nations.

The Holy See filed the climate commitment in September as part of its obligation as a party to the Paris Agreement. The 2015 international deal holds countries to take steps to slash heat-trapping emissions, like carbon dioxide and methane gases, released primarily from burning fossil fuels, and are the primary cause of climate change.

The Paris climate accord requires countries to submit new emissions-reduction plans — called “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs)  — every five years toward meeting its chief goal of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

Surpassing that threshold, scientists say, will expose millions more people to dangerous climate impacts like more extreme heat waves, storms, and increased flooding and wildfires. The latest updated targets were due ahead of COP30, the U.N. climate summit in November in Belem, Brazil, near the gateway to the Amazon rainforest.

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