ISTANBUL

Pope Leo XIV on Monday warned that the climate crisis is advancing “faster than political will,” urging world leaders at COP30 in Brazil to take concrete action before the world’s remaining chance to limit warming to 1.5°C disappears.

In a video message to bishops and cardinals from the Global South gathered in Belem, the Pope said the planet is sending urgent signals through “floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat,” while millions remain exposed to severe climate risks.

“One in three people live in great vulnerability because of these climate changes,” the Pontiff said, according to Vatican News.

The Pope stressed that the Paris Agreement remains the clearest roadmap for stabilizing the global climate, but its implementation has been weakened by government decisions, not flaws in the accord.

He called for “unwavering global solidarity” behind the agreement and urged countries to scale up climate cooperation and support for vulnerable regions, particularly in the Global South.

He also urged leaders to prioritize cooperation over division and warned against treating nature as a source of competing interests.

The UN climate talks enter their final days this week. With the US absent from COP30, countries remain divided over climate ambition, unilateral trade measures, and financing.