Could a global 'People's Pilgrimage' help curb climate change?
| Barcelona
A "People's Pilgrimage" to highlight the effects of climate change and an upcoming papal encyclical on the environment aim this month to invigorate political will for an ambitious new deal to curb global warming.
On Monday, former聽Philippines' climate change commissioner聽Naderev "Yeb" Sa帽o聽kicked off a six-month journey around the world to places hit hard by climate change, beginning in the Pacific island state of聽Vanuatu, still struggling to recover from the devastation caused by Cyclone Pam in March.
The ex-negotiator, who grabbed the limelight at 2013 U.N. climate talks with emotional pleas and fasting after Typhoon Haiyan, said he and thousands of other "climate pilgrims" from聽Europe聽and beyond planned to converge inParis聽before the Nov. 30 start of the U.N. conference where a new climate accord is due to be sealed.
"We feel the missing element is the moral aspect of climate change and... the planetary environmental problem, so we think that galvanizing global public opinion, especially across religions, can give this process the moral push," he told the聽Thomson Reuters Foundation聽before heading to聽Vanuatu.
There he participated in a meeting on the聽Greenpeace聽ship Rainbow Warrior with聽Vanuatu's president and community leaders from Pacific island states to develop a regional climate action plan in the wake of the Cyclone Pam disaster.
After stepping down from the聽Philippines government聽in April amid speculation over policy rifts, Sa帽o joined a global multi-faith climate campaign called "OurVoices," which unites people from many religions, including Catholics like himself, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Protestants.
Climate change has begun to motivate religious leaders and believers over the past two years because "it has become an issue with a human face" as the effects of extreme weather - such as Typhoon Haiyan in the聽Philippines- and sea-level rise have become clearer, he said.
Sa帽o plans not only to visit places of human suffering but also those where climate action is being taken, including efforts to boost renewable energy in聽India聽and聽Qatar, and to protect natural treasures like聽Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
He will ride a bicycle from聽Kenya聽to聽Mozambique聽and tour the聽United States, before embarking on a final 1,100 kilometer (680 mile) walk from聽Rome聽to聽Paris.
Game-changer
The organizers of the People's Pilgrimage said anyone can undertake their own journey, and share the details via .
These travels will be counted towards a global total to represent a walk at least once around the world, "so as to show our leaders how small and precious our planet is," said Ciara Shannon,聽Asia聽coordinator for OurVoices.
Sa帽o will also take part in an inter-faith march in聽Rome聽on June 28 to celebrate the Pope's encyclical, or formal letter, on human ecology, which will be released on June 18.
Sa帽o said it was "exciting" that not only the world's 1.2 billion Catholics are awaiting their leader's views on climate change and sustainability, but people of other faiths too.
As a member of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, Sa帽o said he had received indications the encyclical would focus on poverty and climate justice, and how to solve climate change by tackling inequity.
He hoped the document would "make concrete recommendations and call for concrete action" at the聽Paris聽climate conference and beyond.
"It will be a game-changer," he predicted.
Sa帽o said he is in contact with French authorities about how to use the pilgrimage to help reach an ambitious outcome in聽Paris聽in December.
But the movement will need to continue beyond then, as the new climate agreement will not be sufficient to limit global warming to safe levels, he emphasized.
"I think聽Paris聽needs to be portrayed as the start of a new era of cooperation, because I don't think the multilateral (U.N.) system can come up with a once-and-for-all 2015 agreement that can stop climate change. It's just practically and politically unfeasible," he said.
"Paris聽is not our destination. Our real destination will be the hearts and minds of people, so our journey continues even after聽Paris," he added.
(Reporting by Megan Rowling; editing by Laurie Goering)
