CAFOD welcomes UK ratification of Paris Agreement as a 'critical step'

CAFOD staff celebrate the news

CAFOD has welcomed the ratification of the Paris Agreement by the UK government as a "critical step" in the fight against climate change.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson signed the Agreement into domestic law on Thursday 17 November. The UK became the 112th country to ratify the Accord, which was reached at the Paris climate conference last December.

The Catholic Church was seen as a major voice in the process that led to the Paris Agreement, with several world leaders citing Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato Si' in opening speeches at the 2015 conference.

Neil Thorns, CAFOD's Director of Advocacy, said: "Ratification is a critical step in the battle to prevent climate change from pushing people deeper into poverty. It's another example of the momentum behind the Agreement and a testament to the global leadership role the UK and others have taken on the issue.

"Paris was an unprecedented achievement, with 197 countries overcoming vested interests to provide an unambiguous direction for the future of the world economy. This is reflected by a swathe of records broken in the last year, including in the UK where renewable energy is now generating more electricity than coal.

"The Church has been at the forefront of the momentum behind the Paris Agreement. Millions of people have responded to Pope Francis's clarion call in Laudato Si' and thousands of churches in England and Wales have already switched to renewable energy."

Thorns acknowledged that while the US election results have raised questions about America's future position on the Paris Agreement, "tectonic economic shifts" and "unequivocal" declarations by countries at this month's UN climate conference mean the US will be under intense pressure to maintain its commitments.

Thorns said: "In the US alone, the cost of solar and wind power has plummeted 80% and 60% respectively since 2009 and the renewable energy sector already employs more people than the coal industry. This collapse in cost also makes renewable energy the cheapest, safest, cleanest and most reliable way of ending energy poverty.

"It's essential now that we maintain the momentum generated by the Paris Agreement by speaking up to our MPs to support action nationally and internationally. We can also think about what changes we can make in our own lives, such as by switching to renewable energy in our own homes in order to care for our common home."