Church leader urges moral leadership
2011-11-27 20:41
London - Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the leader of the world's Anglicans, called on Sunday for "real moral leadership" on tackling climate change, ahead of United Nations talks in South Africa.
"The moral crisis is as real as ever. The effects of environmental pressure and change are more and more felt day by day, especially by the most vulnerable people on the face of the planet," Williams said in a video message.
"And we need as never before real moral leadership from our governments, from the international community."
He urged rich nations to detail how they will fulfil a pledge agreed last year to provide $100bn annually, starting in 2020, to help developing countries adapt to climate change and mitigate the damage.
"We need to see some security, some guarantees, about emissions cuts. We need to see some clarity about a real integrated response to questions around clean energy, food security, clean water and bio-diversity," he said.
In a video showing him working on environmental projects with young people, Williams said it would be a "tragedy" if the current generation of leaders failed to live up to the expectations of the next.
"I hope and pray that that will help move things on as we see the absolute necessity of doing justice to the next generation, as we do justice to the whole of our environment," he said.
The talks in Durban, under the 194-nation UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), start on Monday and run to December 9.
