Yahoo – AFP,
28 Nov 2015
Saint-Denis
(France) (AFP) - Hundreds of people from around the world gathered in
Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on Saturday to give a "climate justice"
petition signed by over a million to the UN climate chief ahead of the COP21
conference.
The
so-called climate pilgrims included Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and
Protestants -- representing the world's major religions and their call for
action to save the Earth from the devastating effects of climate change.
The
petition signed by 1,780,528 citizens worldwide was given to Christiana
Figueres, in charge of climate issues at the United Nations, along with Nicolas
Hulot, French President Francois Hollande's special envoy for the planet.
"In
their name, we call for a drastic reduction of carbon emissions and for the
rich countries to help the poorer ones facing climatic changes," said
Brazilian cardinal Claudio Hummes.
"The
time has come. Let us pray and act for climate justice," he said to huge
applause from the crowd.
An
emotional Figueres thanked the climate pilgrims, saying that "despite
differences, we can all unite as human beings to respond together to this
challenge", which world leaders will address at the COP21 conference that
opens Monday near Paris.
The goal is
to limit average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees
Fahrenheit), perhaps less, over pre-Industrial Revolution levels by curbing
fossil fuel emissions blamed for climate change.
Climate change: the long road to a global deal #COP21 pic.twitter.com/47WeWJewYu
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) November 27, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.