Climate change is one of profound challenges world faces, says Pope Francis

ATHENS

Climate change is one of the most profound challenges the world faces, remarked Pope Francis on Wednesday.

In his apostolic exhortation, the pope warned that the world is collapsing and may be getting closer to the breaking point, adding that it is indubitable that the impact of climate change will increasingly impact the lives of many people.

“The effects of climate change are borne by the most vulnerable people,” Francis said.

Drawing attention to the extreme weather phenomena, frequent periods of unusual heat, and drought, he went on to say: “It is verifiable that specific climate changes provoked by humanity are notably heightening the probability of extreme phenomena that are increasingly frequent and intense.”

Maintaining that some effects of this climate crisis are already irreversible, for at least several hundred years, Francis called for a “broader perspective” to tackle climate change.

“International negotiations cannot make significant progress due to positions taken by countries which place their national interests above the global common good. Those who will have to suffer the consequences of what we are trying to hide will not forget this failure of conscience and responsibility,” he said.