Environment Minister Gian
Luca Galletti said Monday the merit for the historic climate
change agreement was due in part to the pope and his encyclical
on the need to protect the planet.
"We brought a little bit of Pope Francis'...encyclical with
us to Paris," said Galletti of the United Nations COP21 climate
change conference that produced the deal signed by 196 nations
at the weekend.
"This is an agreement by all, for all, that saves
everyone," Galletti said. "It will mark history for the next 85
years".
The result was widely hailed as a sign of the end of the
fossil fuel era as world leaders committed for the first time to
a universal agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions, keep
global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, and to hold governments
accountable for reaching those targets.
Scientists say the 2-degree threshold is the limit of
safety, beyond which the effects - droughts, floods, heat waves
and sea level rises - will become catastrophic and irreversible.
Under the deal, developed and developing countries alike
are required to limit their emissions to relatively safe levels.
Funding will be provided to poor nations to help them cut
emissions and cope with the effects of extreme weather, and
countries suffering climate-related disasters will get urgent
aid.
However not all of the agreement is legally binding, so
future governments of the signatory countries could still renege
on their commitments.
Back in the Vatican, the environmentally conscious Catholic
pope also hailed the Paris climate change agreement.
"Enacting it will require a collective commitment and
generous dedication on the part of each and every one," said
Francis, adding he hopes "special attention will be guaranteed
the most vulnerable populations".
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