Pope Leo Demands Climate Action

Pope Leo XIV gave his first major address on climate change on Wednesday, during a conference marking the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, a landmark papal document written by his predecessor Pope Francis. In it, he spoke to the importance of the document, known as an encyclical, which called for the care of our environment and specifically addressed climate change. And he urged society to demand more from governments around the world to tackle the challenge. “From the very beginning, this encyclical has greatly inspired the Catholic Church and many people of goodwill,” he said. “In the process, its impact has even extended to international summits, ecumenical and inter religious dialog, economic and business circles, as well as theological and bio-ethical studies.” The document was a call to action, published ahead of the landmark Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015.  At least 10 world leaders referenced Francis’s words during their addresses to the United Nations climate conference that year. Read More: The Climate Pope: Francis and His Environmental Legacy Today’s speech marked Leo’s first major address on climate change, but the Pope has spoken briefly on the subject before. At the start of September, he touched on the climate crisis during a speech for World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. “On all sides, injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution and the loss of biodiversity,” he said. “Extreme natural phenomena caused by climate changes provoked by human activity are growing in intensity and frequency, to say nothing of the medium and long-term effects of the human and ecological devastation being wrought by armed conflicts.” Earlier this summer, Leo approved a solar farm deal that will make the Vatican the world’s first carbon-neutral state. Last month, he welcomed a new ecological training center in the gardens of Castel Gandolfo that will focus on sustainable farming, ecological stewardship, and other teachings of Laudato Si. Read More: Where Pope Leo Stands on Specific Issues During his Wednesday speech, Leo noted that the challenges identified in Laudato Si are, “even more relevant today than they were 10 years ago.” He said that the responsibility to protect the planet falls on us all, and urged individuals to push for political change in their own communities.  “Everyone in society, through non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups must put pressure on governments to develop and implement more rigorous regulations, procedures, and controls,” he said. “Citizens need to take an active role in political decision making at national, regional, and local levels. Only then will it be possible to mitigate the damage done to the environment.” His speech was another signal that the new pope, whose views on many issues remain unclear, is likely to take the same hardline stance on climate change as his predecessor. “We inhabit the same planet,” he said, “and we must care for it together.”