For many Franciscans, the core challenge raised at this year’s World Environment Day is one that animates their daily lives. The Earth is sending us clear signals. The question is: what will be our answer? From Madagascar to the Solomon Islands and from Croatia to Guatemala, Franciscan sisters and brother are ministering in communities where the signals of a changing climate and a degrading environment have already turned into crises. Today, Franciscans International shares the urgent call for climate action. Time is running out, and nature is in emergency mode.
Against this backdrop, we welcome the growing recognition of the magnitude of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution – not just at the grassroot level, but also by world leaders. The recent adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution affirming the International Court of Justice conclusion that States have a legal obligation to combat climate change must be a catalyst for greater action and accountability. Published four days later,Pope Leo’s first encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, underscores many of our shared concerns that also relate to the environment – including human rights violations linked to the extraction of rare earth elements, the seeming normalization of war, and the necessity of multilateralism. His words, echoing those of others across different faiths, remind us that care for creation is not just a policy question, it is a moral imperative.
With time running rapidly out to avoid catastrophic tipping points, these realizations must be turned into policies that leave no one behind. As part of its work, FI will continue to engage in various UN events and processes to ensure that environmental protection and climate action remain at the forefront. Last week, for example, FI participated in thematic consultations ahead of the ongoing negotiations on a new UN Treaty to regulate the activities of transnational corporations under international human rights law. There, FI highlighted the need to ensure strong language on the environment and climate change in the draft text. This process, including the upcoming negotiations in October, continues to be a critical advocacy space to bring the concerns of communities that are directly affected by business activities – a leading cause of global environmental harm.
Next week, FI will travel to Bonn, Germany, for a subsidiary meeting of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Building on our work at the latest UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Brazil, we will continue our advocacy related to a Just Transition presenting research findings from grassroots faith-communities on the frontlines of climate change. During this meeting and the upcoming COP31 in Turkey, FI will again underscore that a truly Just Transition cannot be a mere shift in energy governance but will require a societal transformation that must be human rights and justice-centered.
As the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) notes today, in the face of climate change, another force is gaining momentum: collective action. FI will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with all those around the world who recognize the magnitude of the crisis we face and share the simple commitment of World Environment Day 2026 – Now for climate!