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Refugee crisis linked to climate change: Pope Francis

The Pope also urged political and business leaders to stop thinking of short-term gains and work for the common good, the Guardian reported.

Vatican City: Pope Francis said it is the world’s poor who are suffering the impact of climate change even though they are the ones least responsible for it.

“Climate change is contributing to the heart-rending refugee crisis. The world’s poor, though least responsible for climate change, are most vulnerable and already suffering its impact,” he said while speaking at a press conference in Rome to mark the Catholic church’s World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the Independent reported.

He proposed that caring for the environment be added to traditional Christian works of mercy such as feeding the hungry and visiting the sick.

“Global warming continues, due in part to human activity: 2015 was the warmest year on record, and 2016 will likely be warmer still. This is leading to ever more severe droughts, floods, fires and extreme weather events,” said the Pope.

Man’s destruction of the environment is a sin, he said, and accused mankind of turning the planet into a “polluted wasteland full of debris, desolation and filth”.

“We must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behaviour,” he said. “Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence. We have no such right.”

The Pope also urged political and business leaders to stop thinking of short-term gains and work for the common good, the Guardian reported.

Last year the Pope had called for a new system of global government to tackle climate change in his encyclical, calling on world leaders to ignore the short-term outlook and look to the long-term instead.

( Source : Agencies )
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