The Pope: let’s not rob the new generations of hope for a better future

Vatican City

During the high-level virtual summit on climate ambition, organized on December 12 by Great Britain and France, in association with Chile and Italy, the Holy Father, through a video message, announced the adoption by the Holy See of a strategy to reduce net zero emissions.

Full promotion of ecology

In his video message, the Pope said that this strategy will evolve on two levels: 1. Commitment of the Vatican City State to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050. 2. Commitment of the Holy See to promote education in integral ecology.

Reduce net emissions to zero

To achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 20502, Vatican City State, SCV, will implement projects aimed at both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving their sources. absorption through, for example, reforestation processes. To do this, it will intensify its environmental management efforts in favor of the rational use of natural resources such as water and energy, energy efficiency, improvement of its technological heritage, sustainable mobility, and reforestation. and the circular economy such as waste management

For many years, the SCV has been committed to promoting sustainable development for the protection of the common home. Indeed, it is worth highlighting the environmental and energy policies applied in the DMC to strengthen the use of renewable energy sources by the construction of photovoltaic and solar cooling plants, as well as the modernization of thermal plants and control systems. associates. temperature in order to obtain a better performance in terms of energy efficiency and polluting emissions into the atmosphere.

Significant progress has also been made in optimizing the use of water resources, reducing common waste, developing the Vatican State Tree Cadastre and promoting responsible consumption (the sale of plastic single use was abolished in 2019). Other important aspects are those linked to the implementation of a process to replace its fleet of vehicles with electric or hybrid traction cars and to improve the concept of recovery and reuse in the field of waste management. waste.

Indeed, it is worth highlighting the promotion of selective collection of urban waste (from a differentiation from 42% in 2016 to 65% in 2020 with the objective of reaching 75% in 2023) and the differentiation of special waste equal at 99%. These are clear examples of the circular economy, such as the recovery of waste from the maintenance of green spaces and organic waste, their transformation into quality compost and the return of products extracted from the environment to the territory.

Promote education in integral ecology

“Political and technical measures must be associated with an educational process that promotes a cultural model of development and sustainability centered on fraternity and the alliance between human beings and the environment”, said the Pope and mentioned the Global Education Pact, which he inaugurated, this pact will accompany Catholic schools and universities, attended by more than 70 million students on all continents; “I supported the Francisco’s economy, through which young economists, businessmen, experts in finance and in the world of work, promote new avenues that make it possible to overcome energy poverty, which place the protection of the commons at the center of national and international policies, and that promote sustainable production also in low-income countries by sharing appropriate advanced technologies “.

In announcing these commitments, the Holy Father recalled the importance that “ the current pandemic and climate change […] They call us to the responsibility of promoting, with a collective and united commitment, a culture of care, which places human dignity and the common good at the center. “The time has come for a change of course.” He said, the new generations hope for a better future.