Pope Francis has published the follow-up to his 2015 encyclical letter that called for more affirmative action regarding global heating.
His latest message takes a swipe at big industry for irresponsible practices and world governments for a lack of intervention on "irreversible" environmental damage.
"Our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point," he said in his latest climate statement, via CNN.
"Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident. No one can ignore the fact that in recent years we have witnessed extreme weather phenomena, frequent periods of unusual heat, drought and other cries of protest," the Pope continued.
Pointedly, Pope Francis compared the emissions of individuals in the United States in comparison to residents of China, saying the former emit twice as much as the latter and criticizing "the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model."
Meanwhile, the Pope also called out big business for prioritizing short-term profits over long-term safety, and railed against members of the Roman Catholic Church who dismiss the impact or even existence of global heating.
In his 2015 address, Pope Francis wrote that the Earth is beginning to look like "an immense pile of filth," and when announcing the upcoming release of a new papal letter on his climate concerns in August 2023, he said a "terrible world war" was being waged on the environment.
Hopefully the Pope's Laudate Deum ("Praise God") message will have a similar impact to his last one.
Delivered before the 2015 Paris climate conference, Reuters reported former United States Secretary of State John Kerry said the Pope's letter had a "profound impact" on the event, where goals to limit global heating were set.
The Paris Agreement called for efforts to limit global heating to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels to avoid increased droughts, heatwaves, and flooding.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
Cool Picks
