Bishop Martin Hayes Global leaders have gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) since November 11, the event will continue until November 22.
Ahead of the conference, Bishop of Kilmore and Laudato Si’ coordinator of the Bishops’ Conference Martin Hayes urged Irish negotiators in Baku “to be, on our behalf, generous of spirit in recognising the burden imposed on poor countries by rich countries like Ireland.”
These UN Climate Change Conference seek to agree on how much money should go each year to helping developing countries cope with climate-related costs.
In his statement, Bishop Hayes mentioned Pope Francis apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum (Praise God for all his creatures). In that document, the Pope highlighted the use of fossil fuels causing climate change and the need to prioritising renewable energy measures.
“The intertwined climate and biodiversity emergencies require radical and carefully aligned actions to be undertaken. In this regard, I wish to highlight the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference initiative to return 30% of Church grounds to nature by 2030. It can be a positive first step on the part of parish communities. Similar initiatives are required on a global scale to respond to the call of Laudato Si’”, the bishop said.
“The recent tragic events in Spain have demonstrated the vulnerability of even a well-developed European country to extreme events supercharged by greenhouse gas emissions…At COP29, global leaders have a chance to secure transfer of finance and support to those who are at the coalface of this climate crisis.”