Tutu: Earth could go 'poof'
2011-12-02 07:21
Cape Town - The threat of climate change could make any gains made in stopping Aids irrelevant, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said on Thursday.
"We have to take seriously challenges of climate change," he said at an Aids awareness event in Noordhoek, Cape Town.
"It almost makes irrelevant any advances we get to achieve in stopping Aids. We might get to defeat Aids, but discover we are getting ourselves fried or drowning."
Tutu, who recently attended the United Nations Cop17 climate talks in Durban, admitted he was wearing "two faces" by thanking oil company Chevron for sponsoring the Aids awareness event.
"Chevron we hope very much that you are aware of the very grave risk we run of destroying our home."
Tutu said if developed nations continued to recklessly emit carbon emissions the Earth would "go poof and we will go poof with it".
The potential in South Africa was "amazing" and the country ought to be one of the best in the world.
Tutu appealed to people to be frugal and not do things such as buying expensive cars.
"It lies with us whether we are going to achieve what God wants us to achieve. If all of us didn't buy expensive cars, we would have enough for everyone in this country."
Tutu said he wanted to go to his grave with a smile on his face.
"Please allow me to go to my grave with a smile on my face like we had in 1994 when we thought we could take on the world."
- SAPA