The Orthodox Christian world’s Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew, also known as the Green Patriarch, urged global leaders to reach climate change targets of the Paris Agreement, on the occasion of the UN Summit on Climate Change in New York.
In a message to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Bartholomew urged faster progress "towards achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement on decarbonisation.”
In his message Ecumenical Patriarchate also called for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions "as soon as possible," in line with the requirements of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Patriarch Bartholomew encourages "the world’s economically developed countries to provide the necessary financial support to developing countries in order to facilitate a socially equitable and efficient transition to an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly course of development."
While investment models can be successful, "charitable giving must not be overlooked," the Ecumenical Patriarch said.
2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the first circular issued by the Ecumenical Patriarchate for the protection of the environment and also establishing September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
