In a historic move, Vatican City is set to join a select group of nations that generate all their electricity from renewable sources, as announced by Pope Francis. This groundbreaking initiative underscores the Vatican’s unwavering commitment to climate neutrality and sustainability.
In his apostolic letter, Fratello Sole (Brother Sun), Pope Francis outlined an ambitious plan to construct a solar power plant on 424 hectares of Vatican-owned land near Rome. This new installation will complement existing solar infrastructure within the city-state, ensuring complete energy independence and making Vatican City the eighth country worldwide to achieve this green milestone.
“We need to make a transition towards a sustainable development model that reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, setting the objective of climate neutrality,” Pope Francis emphasized. “Humanity has the technological means necessary to face this environmental transformation and its pernicious ethical, social, economic, and political consequences, and solar energy plays a fundamental role.”
The Vatican will join the ranks of Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Ethiopia, Iceland, and Congo, nations already generating over 99.7% of their electricity from renewable sources. According to Stanford University’s Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, 40 other countries generate at least 50% of their electricity from renewables, such as geothermal, hydro, solar, or wind.
“We don’t need miracle technologies,” Professor Jacobson told The Independent in April. “We need to stop emissions by electrifying everything and providing the electricity with Wind, Water, and Solar (WWS), which includes onshore wind, solar photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, geothermal electricity, small hydroelectricity, and large hydroelectricity.”
Environmental stewardship has been a cornerstone of Pope Francis’s papacy. In 2015, he identified human-induced climate change as a major concern for the planet’s future. The Vatican’s commitment to sustainability was further solidified in 2022 when it joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, aiming to combat “dangerous human interference with the climate system.”
In a related development, Australia’s Fortescue and OCP have partnered to develop green energy, hydrogen, and ammonia in Morocco.
In May, Pope Francis underscored the urgency of the climate crisis, describing it as having reached “the point of no return.” He warned, “Global warming is alarming,” during an interview with CBS News, stressing the need for sustained global action beyond mere agreements and signatures at climate conferences.
This ambitious solar project not only advances the Vatican’s energy independence but also serves as a powerful symbol of its dedication to leading by example in the global fight against climate change.
