Pope calls for cooperation to reduce ozone depletion

Published: 2007-09-17

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI called for more intensive cooperation to reduce ozone depletion, saying it was an important element in protecting the gifts of creation. The comments Sept. 16 were the latest in a series of ecological statements by the pope, who has focused lately on the Christian responsibility of safeguarding the environment. The pope noted that Sept. 16 marked the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Montreal Protocol, an agreement that curbed emissions of chemicals which reduce the earth's protective ozone layer in the stratosphere. He said ozone depletion has caused "serious damage to the human being and the ecosystem." Experts have linked ozone depletion to an increase in ultraviolet radiation that causes skin cancer. The pope said the landmark Montreal Protocol was an important step forward in dealing with the problem. "In the last 20 years, thanks to an exemplary international cooperation involving politics, science and economics, important results have been obtained with positive consequences for present and future generations," he said.

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