The United Nations has paid glowing tribute to Pope Francis for the major role he played in the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
In a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said Pope Francis was instrumental in global mobilisation that resulted in the Paris Agreement.
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday, aged 88.
The Vatican confirmed the pontiff’s death at 07:35 hours local time.
The UN Secretary-General recalled Pope Francis’ historic visit to the UN Headquarters in 2015, where he spoke of the organisation’s ideal of a “united human family.”
“Pope Francis also understood that protecting our common home is, at heart, a deeply moral mission and responsibility that belongs to every person,” the statement said.
“His Papal Encyclical — Laudato Si — was a major contribution to the global mobilisation that resulted in the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.”
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina on December 17, 1936, was elected pope on March 13, 2013, surprising many Church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
He had won many awards including the Independent Publisher Book Award for Freedom Fighter of the Year in 2017.
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted in 2015 by member nations.
Its primary goal is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the rise in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
The treaty also pursues efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.
The agreement outlines an action plan to achieve this goal, including commitments to reducing emissions, adaptation to climate change impacts, and providing financial support to developing nations.
Source: GNA
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