By Megan Goodwin

Pope Francis met with 65 mayors and politicians from around the world last Tuesday at the Vatican to discuss climate change and existing forms of slavery. This summit is the latest attempt by the Vatican to sway the public debate about climate change and human trafficking. A few weeks ago, the Pope made an encyclical entitled “Laudato Si” that criticized the influx of modern trends and gave a warning that humanity’s current behavior has pushed the planet to its “breaking point.”

There are two important policy shaping events on the horizon, including an upcoming vote in the UN this September about sustainable development goals and a summit in Paris this winter concerning climate change. With these big meetings approaching, Pope Francis wants to make his stance known and to help educate other leaders. He hopes that the upcoming meetings will help the world take a few steps in the right direction in how the world views climate change and human trafficking.

Leaders from around the world congregated at the Vatican summit. Notably, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that his city has agreed to a 40% reduction of greenhouse gases by 2030, following in the similar footsteps forged by California. The representatives all agreed that they face tremendous opposition from those who are complacent in modern ways and from those who do not recognize obvious scientific proof about climate change. Manuela Carmena, the mayor of Spain’s capital, proclaimed that those who are in a leadership position must make the effort to set a good example in order to promote change.

For more information about the latest Vatican climate change meeting, please visit www.cnn.com/2015/07/21/world/pope-francis-climate-trafficking-conference/index.html

For more information about the Pope’s encyclical “Laudato Si,” please visit greenlivingaz.com/2015/06/25/the-pope-acknowledges-the-elephant-in-the-room/