Pope Leo XIV urged on Monday to adopt 'concrete actions' on climate change and lamented the lack of 'political will from some,' in a message sent to the particular Churches of the Global South gathered at the Amazon Museum in Belém (Brazil), within the framework of COP30. 'There is still time to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5°C, but the window is closing,' the pontiff warned, acknowledging some international environmental progress, though considering it 'insufficient.' 'Hope and determination must be renewed, not just with words and aspirations, but also with concrete actions,' he added. The Pope defended the Paris Agreement as the 'most powerful' tool to protect people and the planet and insisted that 'it has driven real progress.' 'But we must be honest: it is not the Agreement that is failing, but our response,' he stated. In this sense, he denounced that 'what is failing is the political will of some' and recalled that 'true leadership implies service and support on a scale that can truly make a difference.' He also emphasized that 'stronger climate action will create stronger and fairer economic systems; firm political and climate measures are an investment in a more just and stable world.' Regarding the impacts of the climate crisis, Leo XIV warned that 'creation cries out in the floods, droughts, storms, and in relentless heat' and noted that 'one in three people lives in great vulnerability due to these changes.' For these groups, he affirmed, climate change 'is not a distant threat,' and warned that ignoring them is 'denying our shared humanity.' At the beginning of his address, Leo XIV greeted the communities present in Belém, who, he said, 'accompany the prophetic voice of my brother Cardinals at COP30, proclaiming to the world that the Amazon remains a living symbol of creation and urgently needs to be cared for.' 'We walk alongside scientists, leaders, and pastors of all nations and creeds.'
