It has been announced that Mayor of London Sadiq Khan will travel to the Vatican City as part of a delegation of global city leaders, who will discuss the climate emergency.
As the leader of the delegation, which includes city leaders from around the world, the mayor will meet Pope Francis for the first time, whilst also addressing world leaders at the Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience summit. This comes as he acts in both his role as the Mayor of London, and the Co-Chair of C40 Cities.
Discussions at the summit will look into how collaboration between different faiths can bring people together under the cause of protecting the planet, with the mayor representing a city in which more than one million Catholics live, as well as himself as the first Muslim mayor in the western world. As he has a private audience with Pope Francis, Khan will become the first London Mayor to do so, with this presenting the opportunity to share strategies and challenges that London – and other global cities – face when it comes to climate action.
Commenting on the trip, Khan said:
“I am truly honoured to have been invited to participate in this key summit hosted by his Holiness Pope Francis, bringing together leading political, civic and religious leaders to tackle the biggest global threat we face today.
“I am determined for London to continue to be a world leader in tackling the twin dangers of air pollution and the climate emergency, but the needs for coordinated global action has never been so urgent.
“As Mayor of one of the most diverse cities in the world, where we celebrate the huge contributions of different religious communities, it will also be an honour to discuss how faith and cooperation between different faiths can be a force for so much good.”
Main focuses at the summit will be on the reduction of climate risks, as well as strategies for adaptation and societal climate transformation. The mayor will feed into this by sharing his insight on the progress that has been made in London across his first two terms, as well as what his plans are for the future.
Other mayors that will be in attendance include those from Boston, Rome, Paris, Athens, and Milan, whilst other global leaders include the Governor of California, the Governor of New York, and the Former President of Ireland.
Image credit: iStock
