On Tuesday, Pope Francis will host major conference on climate change entitled “Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development“:
The conference will feature famous American economist, Jeffrey Sachs, who is the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. The U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, will be giving the opening address. The world’s leading climate scientists are expected to attend the conference on climate change, together with participants from major world religions, as they aim to elevate the debate on the moral dimensions of protecting the environment in advance of the papal encyclical.
Pope Francis’ attendance is just one of his many goals in advocating environmental conservation. He has been very vocal about his support to helping out solve environmental issues. According to the Pope, acting on climate change is essential to faith. He describes destruction of nature as “a modern sin.”
Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana will also be speaking at the summit. He is a top Vatican official leading the drafting process of the Pope’s encyclical on the environment (which will be released this summer.)