Pope Francis wins praise for demanding action from world leaders over climate change
Global warming is blamed by almost all experts on man-made greenhouse gas emissions for causing more heatwaves, downpours and rising sea levels.
Pope Francis' appeal to save the planet won praise from climate change activists, scientists and the United Nations yesterday as a moral imperative to governments to make 2015 a turning point in efforts to slow global warming.
Pope Francis demanded swift action to head off what he saw as looming environmental ruin, and urged world leaders to hear "the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor".
In the first papal document, or encyclical, dedicated to the environment, he called for "decisive action, here and now" to stop environmental degradation and global warming, squarely backing scientists who say it is mostly man-made.
"It is not enough to balance, in the medium term, the protection of nature with financial gain, or the preservation of the environment with progress," the popa writes.
"Halfway measures simply delay the inevitable disaster. Put simply, it is a matter of redefining our notion of progress."
Activists and scientists celebrated the pope's intervention as bringing a moral element to the political controversy over climate change, which some conservative politicians and business executives - especially in the United States - doubt has been caused by human activity.
"Climate change is no longer just a scientific issue; it is increasingly a moral and ethical one," said Yolanda Kakabadse, president of the WWF international conservation group.