Pope Francis Calls for Radical Decisions at Cop26

Pope Francis is urging political leaders attending Cop26 to address the climate catastrophe as soon as possible in order to provide "concrete hope to future generations."

As the globe faces a succession of crises in health care, the environment, food supplies, and the economy, he said radical decisions are required.

The leader of the world's Catholics warned against governments taking an insular approach in a special Thought for the Day message for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, calling for a renewed feeling of shared responsibility for our world.

Pope Francis's remarks come as world leaders prepare to go to Glasgow for the United Nations Climate Summit, where countries are being pressed to enhance their ambition in combating the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change.

Pope Francis will meet with Joe Biden in Rome today, ahead of the G20 summit, before moving on to Glasgow.

Nations' pledges to reduce emissions over the next decade fall well short of what is required to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, beyond which more severe consequences will be felt.

"We have lost our sense of security and are experiencing a sense of powerlessness and loss of control over our lives," the Pope Francis said.

He claimed that the current difficulties "predict a perfect storm," but that they also present opportunity.

"These crises force us to make decisions, dramatic decisions that are not always easy," Pope Francis stated. Moments of difficulty, on the other hand, can bring possibilities. We must not miss out on opportunities.

“The political decision makers who will meet at Cop26 in Glasgow are urgently summoned to provide effective responses to the present ecological crisis and in this way to offer concrete hope to future generations."

“And it is worth repeating that each of us – whoever and wherever we may be – can play our own part in changing our collective response to the unprecedented threat of climate change and the degradation of our common home,” he said.

The two-week climate conference is viewed as critical to increasing action on carbon reductions in order to meet the worldwide Paris Agreement's goals to keep temperature rises "well below" 2°C and strive for the safer 1.5°C target.

Leaders of major economies will go to Scotland after attending the G20 summit in Rome, where climate change is anticipated to take centre stage. However, prominent heads of state, such as China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin, are not expected to attend either event.

Countries, particularly large polluters, are being pressed by people from all walks of life, from UN heads to religious leaders and campaigners, to step up their efforts to meet the 1.5°C objective and avert catastrophic climate repercussions.

There will also be drives to phase out coal power, promote electric vehicles, and conserve forests, with wealthier countries also needing to provide funding to poorer countries so that they can develop cleanly and manage with the inevitable conditions of a warming planet.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Hollywood star, former California governor, and climate crusader, said in an interview for BBC Radio 4's 39 Ways To Save The Planet that everyone must work together to solve the problem.

He said it is “great when leaders get together every year and talk about what they can do”, but he also said he is not a big fan of making everything rest on the annual “Cop” conferences.

Schwarzenegger said: “It’s very important that we have a positive attitude, that we can see it and we all work together because not one person can deal with it themselves. It’s a huge undertaking."

“It takes the political arena, it takes the public sector, the private sector, the non-profit sector, the academic sector, ordinary folks. And then I think we can do it.”

"All of those countries that come and give speeches that say 'we're not going to go and lose jobs because of going green,' they're liars," he said, pointing to California's booming economy, green job growth, and the US's strictest environmental legislation. Or they're just dumb and don't know what they're doing."