Pope Francis Weighs in on Climate Change, Says Humans 'Slapped Nature in the Face'

摘要

Pope Francis has made his strongest statements yet on climate change, saying he believed it was "mostly" due to human activity, and he criticized United Nations climate negotiations for a "lack of courage." It is not unusual for the pontiff to speak out about environmental issues; during their papacies, predecessors Benedict (ⅩⅥ) and John Paul Ⅱ both called on humans to be better stewards of the planet. Francis himself has previously spoken out about what he called a "culture of waste." But the Jan. 15 statements from Francis-leader of the world's estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics-are the strongest yet on the topic from the Vatican, showing a familiarity with multilateral negotiations and the science behind the issues.