Pope Francis was a transcendent voice for peace, human dignity and social justice by Antonio Guterres UN Secretary-General   21 Apr. 2025   UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has joined the world in mourning the death of His Holiness Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday in Vatican City aged 88.   The pontiff - born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina - was elected in March 2013. He was the first priest from the Americas region to lead the Catholic Church worldwide and a strong voice for social justice globally.   Mr. Guterres described him as a messenger of hope, humility and humanity. “Pope Francis was a transcendent voice for peace, human dignity and social justice. He leaves behind a legacy of faith, service and compassion for all — especially those left on the margins of life or trapped by the horrors of conflict,” he said.   "He was a man of faith for all faiths — working with people of all beliefs and backgrounds to light a path forward.”   The Secretary-General said the UN was greatly inspired by the Pope’s commitment to the goals and ideals of the global organization, a message that he conveyed in their various meetings.   The Secretary-General recalled that the Pope spoke of the organization’s ideal of a “united human family” during his historic visit to UN Headquarters in New York in 2015.   “Pope Francis also understood that protecting our common home is, at heart, a deeply moral mission and responsibility that belongs to every person,” said Mr. Guterres, noting that his second Encyclical – Laudato Si – was a major contribution to the global mobilisation that resulted in the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.   “Pope Francis once said: “The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies… it is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us,’” he added.   The Secretary-General concluded by saying that “our divided and discordant world will be a much better place if we follow his example of unity and mutual understanding in our own actions.”   During his September 2015 visit to the UN, Pope Francis delivered a wide-ranging address to leaders gathered in the General Assembly Hall to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.   He urged global action to protect the environment and end the suffering of "vast ranks of the excluded.” He also suggested that the UN could be improved and can “be the pledge of a secure and happy future for future generations”.   “The international juridical framework of the United Nations and of all its activities, like any other human endeavour, can be improved, yet it remains necessary,” he said.   Five years later, during a meeting of the UN General Assembly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pope said the crisis was also an opportunity to rethink our way of life – and systems that are widening global inequality.   Pope Francis was a strong supporter of the United Nations humanitarian work. He engaged with the three UN agencies based in Rome, namely the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).   In a message to the FAO Conference in June 2021, he expressed concern over rising food insecurity amid the pandemic and called for developing a “circular economy” that both guarantees resources for all people and promotes the use of renewable energy sources.   “If we are to recover from the crisis that is ravaging us, we must develop an economy tailored to fit mankind, not motivated mainly by profit but anchored in the common good, ethically friendly and kind to the environment,” he said.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/04/1162421 http://www.caritas.org/2025/04/caritas-internationalis-joins-the-global-catholic-community-in-mourning-the-death-of-his-holiness-pope-francis/ http://www.caritas.org/stories/press-releases/ http://www.vaticannews.va/en/taglist.chiesa-e-religioni.Papa.papa-francesco.html http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-04/tribute-to-pope-francis-global-justice-economy-environment-actio.html http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231004-laudate-deum.html http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html http://sharing.org/information-centre/blogs/pope-francis-humble-advocate-sharing-worlds-resources Visit the related web page
	Human-induced climate change continues to reach new heights by Copernicus Climate Change Service, agencies   8 Apr. 2025 (news agencies)   The average global temperature last month was 1.6C (2.88F) higher than in pre-industrial times, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Tuesday.   March 2025 was the 20th month in a 21-month period for which the global-average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. 14 of these 20 months, from September 2023 to April 2024, and from October 2024 to March 2025, were substantially above 1.5°C, ranging from 1.58°C to 1.78°C.   Scientists have warned that every fraction of a degree of global warming increases the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall and droughts.   Samantha Burgess, strategic lead at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs the C3S service, noted that Europe experienced extremes in both heavy rain and drought in March.   Europe last month recorded “many areas experiencing their driest March on record and others their wettest March on record for at least the past 47 years”, Burgess said.   Scientists said climate change also intensified an extreme heatwave across Central Asia and fuelled conditions for extreme rainfall in countries like Argentina.   Arctic sea ice also fell to its lowest monthly extent last month for any March in the 47-year record of satellite data, C3S said. The previous three months also set record lows.   The main driver of climate change is greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, according to climate scientists. But even as the costs of disasters due to climate change spiral, the political will to invest in curbing emissions has waned in some countries.   United States President Donald Trump has called climate change a “hoax”, despite the overwhelming global scientific consensus that it is human-caused and will have severe and ongoing consequences if not urgently addressed.   In January, Trump signed an executive order to have the US withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement, dealing a blow to worldwide efforts to combat global warming. In 2015, nearly 200 nations agreed in Paris that limiting warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels offered the best chance of preventing the most catastrophic repercussions of climate change.   Friederike Otto of the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London told the AFP news agency that the world is “firmly in the grip of human-caused climate change”. “That we’re still at 1.6C above pre-industrial is indeed remarkable,” she said.   http://climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-temperature-maps http://climate.copernicus.eu/second-warmest-march-globally-large-wet-and-dry-anomalies-europe http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/wmo-report-documents-spiralling-weather-and-climate-impacts   Apr. 2025   Clean energy can be Africa’s greatest success story, which is why its leaders must not fall for the pro-coal lobbying of the Trump administration, says Mohamed Adow, Founder and Director of Power Shift Africa   President Donald Trump’s administration has recently taken to urging African leaders to burn more planet-heating fossil fuels, and in particular coal, the dirtiest of all of them. Simultaneously, it scrapped USAID funding, which had been helping millions of the poorest people in Africa survive amid expanding climate breakdown.   Those thinking of aligning with Trump’s agenda would do well to remember that the droughts, floods, and storms which have destroyed the lives and livelihoods of Africans across the continent have been supercharged by US energy policy. The US alone has produced about a quarter of all historic carbon dioxide emissions since the Industrial Revolution, which are now responsible for accelerated global warming.   Not only would a coal-based development pathway for Africa heap more misery onto its citizens who are already living on the front lines of the climate crisis, but it would also be economically suicidal.   The economic impact of the climate emergency is already taking a terrible toll on Africa, and a 2022 report by the charity Christian Aid showed that under the current climate trajectory, African countries could suffer a reduction in gross domestic product growth of 64 percent by 2100.   There is also no need for Africa to shackle itself to the outdated fossil fuel infrastructure of coal when the continent is blessed with a spectacular potential for developing clean renewable energy.   The US fossil fuel advocates would be happy to see Africa trail along in the footsteps of the Global North, rather than see the continent leapfrogging the dirty energy era in the same way it leapfrogged landline telephone technology and adopted mobile phones en masse. But Africans should know better.   No other continent has more untapped wind and solar power than Africa, and this remains the key to its long-term prosperity. From the sun-drenched deserts of North Africa to the wind-swept plains of East Africa, the continent has the natural resources to become a global leader in clean energy.   Countries such as Morocco, Kenya and South Africa are already making significant strides in renewable energy development, with projects that harness solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower.   Investing in renewable energy offers numerous benefits. It can improve energy access for millions of people, create jobs, and boost economic growth. Renewable energy projects are often more scalable and adaptable to local needs, making them ideal for rural electrification and community-based initiatives.   By contrast, coal has wrought a terrible cost to Africans. It is often touted as a cheap and reliable energy source, but this ignores the hidden costs of environmental degradation, health impacts, and the overall economic harm of climate breakdown. Moreover, the global shift towards clean energy means that investments in coal are increasingly risky and likely to become stranded assets.   African countries must resist the lobbying efforts of Trump’s fossil fuel backers and instead focus on building a sustainable energy future. This requires a multifaceted approach, including investment in renewable energy infrastructure, strengthening governance and policy frameworks, and fostering international cooperation.   Investing in clean energy infrastructure is crucial. This includes not only large-scale projects like solar parks and wind farms but also decentralised systems that can bring electricity to off-grid communities. Many countries across Africa are already leading the way with community-focused solar systems and microgrids, and these initiatives demonstrate how renewable energy can be both ambitious and pragmatic, addressing energy access challenges while reducing reliance on imported fuels.   Strengthening governance and policy frameworks is equally important. African governments must prioritise climate adaptation and resilience in their urban planning and development processes.   This involves integrating climate considerations into all new projects and ensuring that resources are allocated where they are most needed. Effective governance structures can enable the implementation of climate adaptation strategies and ensure that investments in renewable energy are sustainable and equitable.   International cooperation and support are also vital. The global clean energy transition holds new promise for Africa’s economic and social development. Countries representing more than 70 percent of global CO2 emissions have committed to reaching net zero emissions by mid-century, including several African nations. These commitments can help attract climate finance and technology, enabling African countries to achieve their energy-related development goals on time and in full.   Africa’s path to sustainable economic development lies in embracing renewable, clean energy. The continent has the natural resources and innovative spirit to become a global leader in renewables, improving energy access, creating jobs, and reversing the climate crisis. By resisting the fossil fuel industry’s attempts to perpetuate coal use, African countries can build a resilient and prosperous future for their people.   Clean energy can be Africa’s greatest success story. For that to happen, African leaders must not take advice from a US president who admits he only cares about “America First”. http://www.powershiftafrica.org/ Visit the related web page
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