Pope Francis, who has repeatedly called for action against climate change, is hoping to attend the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November, the Vatican said Tuesday.

His team hope to arrange his trip to coincide with that of the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople.

"We are hoping and we are keeping our fingers crossed. The request has been made and addressed to him (Francis)," said Cardinal Peter Turkson, who leads on environmental issues at the Vatican.

"Right now, I cannot confirm any such participation," he told reporters.

He added that contact had also been made with Bartholomew's office and "they will want to synchronise the dates and try to be there together".

US special climate envoy John Kerry raised the prospect of the pope's presence in Glasgow when the two men met earlier this month.

He said the pontiff was a "convincing moral authority on the issue of the climate crisis".

COP26 will gather climate negotiators from 196 countries and the European Union, along with businesses, experts and world leaders in the Scottish city of Glasgow between November 1-12.

Host Britain, which was forced to delay the summit last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, says it wants to host a physical summit.

However, while Britain's infection rate has fallen to low levels in recent weeks, the virus is still raging in many parts of the world.

The pope has called climate change "one of the principal challenges facing humanity" today. He has rebuked industrialised countries most responsible for the crisis, while speaking up for the poor in developing countries who will feel its worst effects.

Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

New NASA data sheds sunlight on climate models
Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 17, 2021
Have you ever worn a dark T-shirt on a sunny day and felt the fabric warm in the Sun's rays? Most of us know dark colors absorb sunlight and light colors reflect it - but did you know this doesn't work the same way in the Sun's non-visible wavelengths? The Sun is Earth's power source, and it emits energy as visible sunlight, ultraviolet radiation (shorter wavelengths), and near-infrared radiation, which we feel as heat (longer wavelengths). Visible light reflects off light-colored surfaces like sn ... read more