"We must counter indifference and selfishness," warns Margarida Silva, in the context of COP27

"The climate is in no danger at all. But we are, as a society and as a species," warns Margarida Silva, professor at the Faculty of Biotechnology, in the article written in the scope of the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), which will take place from November 6 to 18.

Produced by the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities - SACRU, an alliance of which UCP is a founding member, the article brings together expert opinions in a joint call to world leaders to take action to tackle global warming.

Margarida Silva criticises the lack of concrete measures and points out: “After 50 years of addressing a worldwide emergency… failure is all around us. Yet we’re still trying without asking what failed.”

Highlighting the need to "counter indifference and selfishness", the professor concludes: “Change is uncomfortable, and scary. Unless we see the ocean knocking at our door, we’d rather reschedule for the next COP. Except we are COPping out. So here’s what we really need saving from: greed, selfishness, and indifference.”

Read here the article with reflections by Philip J. Landrigan (Boston College), Roberto Zoboli and Simone Tagliapietra (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Núria Llaverías (Universitat Ramon Llull), Maryon Urbina (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), Kathryn Baragwanath (Australian Catholic University) and Margarida Silva (Universidade Católica Portuguesa).