VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis warned time was "running out" to save the planet while expressing regret at his absence from climate talks in Glasgow, in a letter published Thursday. The summit, he said in the letter to Catholics in Scotland, was "meant to address one of the great moral issues of our time: the preservation of God's creation." The pontiff said in the letter, dated Tuesday but published by the Vatican on Thursday, that he had hoped to take part in the COP26 climate talks underway in Glasgow. The 84-year-old is a staunch advocate for the environment and has called climate change an "unprecedented threat" requiring urgent action. The crunch COP26 summit — in which negotiators are wrangling over ways to limit global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels — ends Friday.

Source: Manila Times November 11, 2021 16:19 UTC