COP29 should lead to progress in combating climate change, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, told journalists within the framework of COP29, Report informs.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin mentioned that this is his second visit to Azerbaijan, and each time he has been welcomed with hospitality:
"COP29 is organized at a high level. The international community has long known that we must fight climate change. However, unfortunately, measures to address the relevant problems are progressing very slowly. I believe that such conferences should lead to progress in implementing climate change mitigation measures and finding solutions."
Parolin stated that efforts should be made to find solutions that won't further undermine the development and adaptive capabilities of countries already facing heavy economic debt: "Ecological and economic debt are two interconnected problems on which the future of many countries depends."
The Cardinal also repeated Pope Francis's call for wealthy countries to accept the burden of previously made decisions and forgive debts that countries would never be able to pay anyway.
"This is more a matter of justice than generosity. Today we are witnessing a new serious form of injustice. We increasingly recognize this, particularly in the existence of ecological debt between the global north and south. This is related to trade imbalances and affects the environment. This is especially the disproportionate use of natural resources by some countries over a long period," he stated.