Pope Francis on Thursday called for immediate changes in human behavior to fight global warming and save the environment, saying damage caused by contemporary lifestyles could leave future generations in a world of filth.
In a powerfully worded encyclical, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church chastised those who would deny a human connection to climate change. Francis declared that the planet was indeed growing warmer and that the dangerous trend was due largely to a culture of instant gratification.
Tragically, he said, people have grown increasingly self-obsessed, ever more distant from nature and alarmingly preoccupied with technological novelty.