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Pope Francis: Wants to go to the summit in Dubai
Photo: YARA NARDI / REUTERS
In a month's time, Pope Francis will be the first head of the Catholic Church to attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai. "I'm going to Dubai," the 86-year-old told Italian TV channel Rai 1 on Wednesday. He will take part in the COP1 climate summit for three days from 3 to 28 December.
The Argentine, who has repeatedly called for more efforts to protect the environment and fight climate change, will thus become the first pope in history to attend a UN climate conference. The COP format has been in existence since 1995.
At the beginning of October, Francis had called for a much more determined fight against the climate crisis in an apostolic letter called "Laudate Deum" (Praise God) and, among other things, called for a binding energy transition.
In 2015, Francis published the encyclical Laudato Si before the World Climate Conference in Paris. Today, the text is said to have had an influence on the negotiations on the Paris Climate Agreement, which were later successfully concluded.
This year's UN Climate Change Conference will take place from 30 November to 12 December. After the opening ceremony on the first day, heads of state and government from around the world will gather in Dubai on 1 and 2 December and present their climate policy course in speeches to the plenary.
phw/AFP