The head of the Catholic Church revealed he would be in Dubai from December 1st to 3rd, focusing on the global challenge of climate change….reports Asian Lite News
Pope Francis confirmed plans to visit Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, expressing ongoing concerns about environmental issues. In an interview with Italian television network RAI, the pontiff revealed he would be in Dubai from December 1st to 3rd, focusing on the global challenge of climate change.
The Pope, known for his advocacy on environmental care, mentioned no specific agenda for the trip but is likely to address the conference, emphasising the impact of environmental damage, particularly on vulnerable communities.
Scheduled right before his 87th birthday, Francis, when asked about his health, humorously reiterated his standard response, “Still alive, you know,” following recent abdominal surgery.
Last month, Pope Francis received the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders, Mohamed Abdel Salam, in Rome to learn about the ongoing preparations for the Faith Pavilion at COP28, to be organised by the Council in collaboration with the COP28 Presidency and the UN Environment Programme during 2023 UN Climate Change Conference.
The pavilion aims to be a global platform for dialogue between leaders of different religions and their icons, and to involve them in efforts to address climate change.
In the same context, the Secretary-General met with Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Secretary of State of Vatican City, and Cardinal Miguel Ayuso Guixot, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See
The meeting discussed the latest developments regarding the global summit for faith leaders, the Confluence of Conscience, which will take place on November 6-7 in Abu Dhabi in partnership with the COP28 Presidency. The importance of the message that will come out of the summit to COP28 was also discussed.
Net-Zero Transition Charter
The COP28 Presidency has launched a charter to mobilise and encourage the private sector to take bolder action on climate and commit to greater credibility and accountability in their net-zero emissions pledges.
The ‘Net-Zero Transition Charter: Accountability mobilisation for the private sector’ launch comes just weeks ahead of the COP28 conference, to be held in Dubai between 30th November and 12th December. The Charter follows a technical report from the Global Stocktake on 8th September, which showed that the world is off-track to keeping the goals of the Paris Agreement alive.
The Charter recognises the important role the private sector must play in combatting climate change. The private sector accounts for approximately 80 percent of the global GDP, as well as the bulk of the world’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President, said, “The private sector’s engagement in COP28 – their resources, expertise, and commitment – is vital in driving real-world action and achieving the ambitious climate goals set forth by the Presidency. For every pillar of our Action Agenda – fast-track the energy transition, fix climate finance, focus on nature, lives, and livelihoods, and full inclusivity – companies can leverage their strengths and resources to advance our collective climate goals and provide us with required solutions.
“The Net-Zero Transition Charter will further enable the private sector to take meaningful action on climate, track progress and be held accountable. We have strong collaboration with the private sector already in the consultation and development of many of the outcomes of the action agenda – and I encourage all eligible private sector organisations to make this commitment and sign the Charter today.”
The COP28 Presidency has called for a collaborative approach to reduce emissions by 43 percent in the next seven years, with all sorts of capital – public, private and philanthropic sources necessary to help solve the emissions gap more effectively.
