Pope Francis Makes Historic Call for Climate Change Action

In a sweeping, 180-page letter addressed to "every single person on the planet" on Thursday, Pope Francis reframes global warming as one of the world's most pressing moral, ethical and religious challenges. The formal letter, known in the Church as an encyclical, portrays global warming as a threat to humanity, endangering progress in combating poverty and improving global inequality.It also firmly blames human activities, chiefly the unsustainable use of Earth's natural resources, including burning of fossil fuels, for causing the problem. The encyclical, which is a Catholic teaching document meant to guide Catholics' actions on a topic for decades, is entitled "Laudato Si: On the Care of the Common Home." This is the Catholic Church's first-ever encyclical devoted to the environment.