Mayor of London to discuss climate emergency with Pope Francis at Vatican climate summit
• First overseas trip of Sadiq’s historic third term sees London Mayor meeting Pope Francis for the first time
• Summit brings together global leaders committed to tackling the climate emergency
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan will lead a delegation of city leaders from around the world at a crucial climate summit to be held at the Vatican this week.
Acting in his role both as Mayor of London and as Co-Chair of C40 Cities, Sadiq will speak to world leaders at the ‘Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience’ summit this Thursday, hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
As the Mayor of one of the most diverse cities in the world, and home to more than one million Catholics (1), and as the first Muslim Mayor in the Western world, Sadiq is expected to discuss with His Holiness Pope Francis and global city leaders how co-operation between different faiths can be a catalyst for unity, as well as a driving force behind action to protect the planet.
Sadiq will have a private audience with His Holiness Pope Francis – the first London Mayor to do so at the Vatican and a rare opportunity for the Mayor to share ongoing strategies and challenges that London and other global cities face in the realm of climate action. Pope Francis has repeatedly called for greater action to be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and in 2019 declared a ‘global climate emergency’. Pope Francis’ urgent call to action was outlined in his Laudate Deum.
The summit will focus on reducing climate risks, adaptation strategies and societal climate transformation, with Sadiq sharing knowledge and insights on the progress London has made over his first two terms and his plans for the future. The Mayor will be joined by the Mayors of Boston, Paris, Rome, Athens and Milan, alongside other leaders from around the world including Governor of California, Gavin Newsom; Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul; Hoesung Lee, Former chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Mary Robinson; Former President of Ireland.
Sadiq’s role at the summit follows his historic address to the UN Climate Ambition Summit at the UN General Assembly last year, in which he called cities ‘climate titans’, using their ‘might and muscle’ to make a decisive difference to bring down carbon emissions, and warning fossil fuel companies to either ‘get on board, or get left behind’.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “I am truly honoured to have been invited to participate in this key summit hosted by his Holiness Pope Francis, bringing together leading political, civic and religious leaders to tackle the biggest global threat we face today.
“I am determined for London to continue to be a world leader in tackling the twin dangers of air pollution and the climate emergency, but the need for coordinated global action has never been so urgent.
“As Mayor of one of the most diverse cities in the world, where we celebrate the huge contributions of different religious communities, it will also be an honour to discuss how faith and cooperation between different faiths can be a force for so much good.”
Notes to editors
- Religious London: Faith in a Global City (2020) - https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/cmsfiles/Religious-London-FINAL-forweb.pdf
- London now boasts the largest electric bus fleet in Europe and an extensive network of public electric vehicle charging points. The implementation of the Low Emission Zones (LEZ) and the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has drastically reduced harmful emissions from road transport, setting a high standard for cities globally.
- Air pollution has been reduced London-wide, with nitrogen dioxide concentrations decreasing by 65 per cent in central London, 53 per cent in inner London, and 45 per cent in outer London since 2016. This shows that the Mayor's policies have driven London's air quality to improve faster than the rest of the UK, by accelerating the uptake of cleaner vehicles and reducing air pollution beyond what would have otherwise happened.
- The Mayor has supported the planting of more than half a million trees, started a rewilding revolution, invested millions in green jobs and led the way in turning our capital into a global centre for green finance.