Pope Francis, who has never shied away from controversial topics, took on climate change deniers on Wednesday, saying that the planet “may be nearing the breaking point.”
The pope shared his thoughts in a new document, saying that a transition from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy was not moving quickly enough.
The document, called Laudate Deum (Praise God), comes before next month’s COP28 conference, which will see world leaders address growing concerns around climate change.
In his 7,000 words, Francis also shared that people are relying too much on technology to capture gas emissions, saying it does not tackle the human causes that have created the problem.
“The world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point,” he said. “It is indubitable that the impact of climate change will increasingly prejudice the lives and families of many persons.”
The document includes highly technical sections that read like a scientific paper, as the pope addresses the concerns of climate change.
“Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over, or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident,” he said.
He went on to say that the “extreme weather phenomena” of the last year could not be ignored, with “frequent periods of unusual heat, drought and other cries of protest” being only a few signs of the “silent disease that affects everyone.”
The paper calls for the abolishment of “short-term interests of certain countries or businesses,” instead saying that it was time for nations to take things seriously.
“In this way, may they demonstrate the nobility of politics and not its shame,” he wrote.
With the threat of rising sea levels possibly displacing millions around the globe, Francis says that petty interests need to be put aside to protect what matters.
“If we are confident in the capacity of human beings to transcend their petty interests and to think in bigger terms, we can keep hoping that COP28 will allow for a decisive acceleration of energy transition, with effective commitments subject to ongoing monitoring,” he said.
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