(Brussels) – “Mgr. Jean-Claude Hollerich, President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), together with all the other presidents of continental Bishops’ Conferences, calls on politicians to work towards an ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement. They ask for COP24 to prove a milestone in the path set out in 2015 in Paris”. A statement released tonight by the COMECE secretariat in Brussels relays the signing today in Rome of a declaration that calls for “ambitious and immediate actions to be taken to tackle and overcome the devastating effects of the climate crisis”. The presidents of continental Bishops’ Conferences and the 28 Bishops of the countries that belong to the EU and to COMECE are united in expressing their support: there is a need to “resist the temptation to look for short-term solutions without addressing the root causes and the long-term consequences” of this crisis. The guiding principles should be “urgency, intergenerational justice, human dignity and human rights”, to develop policies aimed at keeping global warming below 1.5°C; shifting towards sustainable lifestyles; respecting the knowledge of indigenous communities; implementing a financial paradigm shift in line with global climate accords; transforming the energy sector by putting an end to the fossil fuel era and transitioning to renewable energy; and rethinking the agriculture sector to ensure it provides healthy and accessible food for everyone, with a special emphasis on promoting agroecology.