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SCIENCEWednesday 9 December
UN: malaria cases Scientists enlist big gun for climate action: Faith
drop but progress
in Africa is slower SETH BORENSTEIN prayed. On Saturday night 30 years or so it’s not been He was presenting a pa-
AP Science Writer in a downtown Paris cha- that successful in achiev- per on glacier melt to the
MARIA CHENG PARIS (AP) — The cold pel, hundreds of people, ing its goals,” Joe Ware of scientists at the pontifical
AP Medical Writer hard numbers of sci- many of them prostrated Christian Aid wrote in an academy. It was aca-
LONDON (AP) — The ence haven’t spurred the on the ground, sang and email from the Paris talks. demic and laid out the
number of malaria cases world to curb runaway prayed for the climate ne- “Increasingly it has looked conclusions in cold hard
worldwide has dropped global warming. So as cli-
in recent years but the mate negotiators struggle Brother Alois addresses people at an interfaith service for world leaders to curb global warming
countries with the biggest in Paris, some scientists
outbreaks have made the who appealed to the ra- during a multi-lingual service at Church St Ignatius in Paris, France. As climate negotiators
least progress, according tional brain are enlisting
to a new report Tuesday by what many would con- struggle in Paris, some scientists who appealed to the rationale brain are enlisting what many
the World Health Organiza- sider a higher power: the
tion. majesty of faith. would consider a higher power: the majesty of faith. (Marie Renaux/Taize via AP)
The vast majority of ma- It’s not God versus sci-
laria cases and deaths are ence, but followers of God gotiators and mostly for to faith groups for help facts. But then the chan-
in Africa, where countries and science together try-
have achieved “slower- ing to save humanity and the world. in mobilizing a broader cellor to the academy, a
than-average declines” the planet, they say.
of about 32 percent in Physicist John Schellnhu- Faith “is much deeper” movement of people call- bishop, added one sen-
the last 15 years, the ber, founder of the Pots- than science, said Caro- ing for action on climate tence to the end: “If we
U.N. health agency said. dam Institute for Climate line Bader of the Gene- change. They are actu- want justice and peace,
Elsewhere, cases have Impact Research in Ger-
dropped by about half. many, said he has been va-based Lutheran World ally natural allies as almost we must protect the habi-
Malaria is a mosquito- coming to these interna- Federation. all faiths have a theology tat that sustains us.”
borne parasitic disease tional talks for 11 years And so are their numbers. of creation care at their It was quickly agreed to
that mostly strikes children and essentially seen ne-
under 5. gotiators throw up their Bader said interfaith lead- heart.” and Ramanathan started
WHO estimated there were hands and say “sorry guys ers recently handed top Scripps Institution of to look at climate sci-
about 214 million cases we tried our best.” And United Nations negotia- Oceanography scientist ence not as an academic
of malaria and 438,000 no one protested. But
deaths this year but those this time, with the power tors a petition with 1.8 mil- Veerabhadran Ramana- issue but an issue of justice,
estimates are based of Pope Francis’ encycli- lion signatures begging for than, a non-Catholic who because those who are
mostly on modeling. The cal earlier this year calling meaningful climate ac- advised Pope Francis on hurt the most by climate
U.N. health agency said global warming a moral
data is so bad for 31 coun- issue and an even more tion. Such action was also climate and is on the pon- change are the world’s
tries in Africa — including energized interfaith com- sought by Brother Alois tiff’s science academy, poorest 3 billion. He start-
those believed to have the munity, Schellnhuber feels Taize, a Catholic member says he thinks this new alli- ed volunteering, working
worst outbreaks — that it the world’s faithful are
couldn’t tell if cases have watching and will hold of the ecumenical mon- ance will play a major role with the poor and exam-
been rising or falling in the world leaders account- astery, as he was preach- in what he hopes will be a ining his own consumption
last 15 years. able. ing at the song-laden ser- historic agreement. habits, like how much he
WHO is hoping to wipe out “They know they will be
malaria by 2040 despite measured against the en- vice about how the faith- But for Ramanathan, now drives.
not having an effective cyclical,” Schellnhuber, a ful and the world have to a member of the Holy Bishop Marcelo Sanchez
vaccine for it and increas- member of the Vatican’s open their eyes to solu- See’s delegation to the Sorondo, chancellor of the
ing resistance problems Pontifical Academy of Sci-
to both drugs and insecti- ences, said Saturday at a tions to global warming. climate talks, it’s more Pontifical Academy of Sci-
cides used to kill mosqui- Catholic Church event.
toes. Ever the scientist, Schelln- “The environment move- than scienceor history. ences, said Pope Francis’
The world’s first malaria huber said on Saturday ment, which has primarily About four years ago he encyclical Laudato Si is
vaccine was recommend- he hadn’t seen any evi-
ed for approval this year, dence yet during the first been a secular one, has had a moment that he less about ecology than
but it only protects about week of negotiations that
one-third of children and this will happen, but he realized that over the last called “a revelation.” morality and fairness.q
multiple doses are re- has faith it will.
quired. WHO has recom- In the first five days of cli-
mended that more studies mate negotiations, in-
be done before deciding terfaith activists came,
how countries should use fasted, talked to media,
it.q buttonholed leaders and
