Pope Francis has called on Western governments to reign in the “irresponsible lifestyles” of the public, warning that the world is “collapsing” due to “climate change.”
According to the pope, people in Western nations need to implement a “broad” lifestyle change in order to fight “global warming.”
The pontiff’s demands were revealed in a letter from the Vatican.
In his Apostolic Exhortation, the pope blames the “suffering” of the planet on the “lifestyles” of the West.
He warns that the world is “collapsing” due to “extreme weather phenomena, frequent periods of unusual heat, drought, and other cries of protest on the part of the Earth.”
Francis blames the “extreme weather” on “climate change.”
The pope goes on to say that the U.S. emissions per capita are “two times greater” than China.
He argues that the “irresponsible lifestyles” of Western populations need to be reigned in.
“If we consider that emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries, we can state that a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact,” Francis wrote in the letter.
“As a result, along with indispensable political decisions, we would be making progress along the way to genuine care for one another.”
However, China led the world in carbon emissions in 2020 with 11,680.42 tons, according to the World Population Review.
The U.S. comes in second at 4,535.30 billion tons.
In 2022, Communist China’s emissions were reduced to 9.9 billion tons, with the United States reducing slightly to 4.4 billion tons, according to Climate Consulting.
However, China’s emissions are more than the rest of the top five nations combined.
Nevertheless, the Chinese Communist Party appears to get a free pass as Francis targets “the West.”
Francis further suggested nations come together to create international policies on the issue during the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, according to the letter.
“If we are confident in the capacity of human beings to transcend their petty interests and to think in bigger terms, we can keep hoping that COP28 will allow for a decisive acceleration of energy transition, with effective commitments subject to ongoing monitoring,” the letter reads.
“This Conference can represent a change of direction, showing that everything done since 1992 was in fact serious and worth the effort, or else it will be a great disappointment and jeopardize whatever good has been achieved thus far.”
Francis has placed repeated emphasis on fighting “climate change.”
In 2016, he called “global warming” a “sin against creation.”
The previous year, he had demanded global governance due to climate issues.
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