Three high-profile governors will take center stage at the Vatican this week to help develop a resilience blueprint that can be used in climate-stressed states and cities around the world.
The leaders of California, New York and Massachusetts, all Democrats, will attend a three-day summit at a 16th century villa in the Vatican Gardens hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Social Sciences, whose members are recognized by the Catholic Church as experts in thorny issues including climate science. Pope Francis will attend Thursday’s session, organizers said.
One of the meeting’s objectives is to produce a draft protocol on climate resilience that will be submitted to the United Nations. All three governors — Gavin Newsom of California, Kathy Hochul of New York and Maura Healey of Massachusetts — have made fighting climate change central to their administrations.
“This year holds unprecedented significance for democracy and the climate, two intertwined issues which will define our future,” Newsom said in a statement. “With half the world’s population poised to elect their leaders amidst a backdrop of escalating political extremism, and global temperatures hurtling towards alarming new heights, the stakes could not be higher.”
