Pope Francis warns planet ‘is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point’ as he urges climate action

Pope Francis issued a stark reminder about the effects of climate change on Wednesday, warning that “the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.”

“Despite all attempts to deny, conceal, gloss over or relativize the issue, the signs of climate change are here and increasingly evident,” the pope said in a letter titled Laudate Deum, or Praise God.

“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 on the part of the earth that are only a few palpable expressions of a silent disease that affects everyone,” the letter added.

It also made a point of stressing that “specific climate changes provoked by humanity are notably heightening the probability of extreme phenomena that are increasingly frequent and intense.”

The beginning of the letter seeks to contextualize the state of play in 2023, signaling changes since the publication of an encyclical letter, ‘Laudato si’, in 2015.

Highlighting the impact of climate change on human lives, Francis said he now “realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point.”

This is being felt in a range of areas, from forced migrations and healthcare to housing, access to resources and sources of employment, he said.

COP28, fossil fuels and renewables

Francis also touched on the upcoming COP28 climate change summit in the United Arab Emirates, which will kick off at the end of November.

His letter described the UAE as “a country of the Persian Gulf known as a great exporter of fossil fuels, although it has made significant investments in renewable energy sources.”

It also noted that oil and gas firms were still “planning new projects there, with the aim of…