Pope Francis: 'Revolution' needed to combat climate change

 By Daniel Burke, CNN Religion Editor Updated 1738 GMT (0038 HKT) June 18, 2015
.
(CNN)Pope Francis warned Thursday that a broad sweep of human activities -- from a blind worship of technology to an addiction to fossil fuels and mindless consumerism -- has brought the planet to the "breaking point."
.
"Doomsday predictions," the Pope said in a sharply worded manifesto, "can no longer be met with irony or disdain."
.
Citing scientific consensus that we are witnessing a "disturbing warming" of the Earth, Francis embraced the view that humans are largely to blame for a dramatic change in the climate. Now, nothing short of a "bold cultural revolution" could halt humanity's spiral into self-destruction, the Pope warned.
.
"The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth," Francis said. "In many parts of the planet, the elderly lament that once beautiful landscapes are now covered with rubbish."
.
The popular pontiff castigated big businesses, energy companies, short-sighted politicians, scurrilous scientists, laissez faire economists, callous Christians and myopic media professionals. Scarcely any area of society escapes his probing pen. It was a surprisingly pessimistic statement from a spiritual leader known for his hopeful messages of mercy and openness.
.
People no longer seem to believe in a happy future, the Pope lamented.
.
Francis' challenging manifesto came Thursday in the form of an encyclical, a letter traditionally addressed from St. Peter's Square to the more than 1 billion Catholics across the globe. Derived from the Greek word for "circle," an encyclical is among the church's most authoritative teaching documents.
.
But Francis has set his sights far beyond the circle of his church. With an eye toward several key climate change summits scheduled for later this year, the Pope said his letter is addressed to "every person living on this planet."
.
"I would like to enter a dialogue with all people about our common home," Francis said.
. 
Read more...