Pope hits deniers of climate change
ON BOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AFP/AP) – Pope Francis on Monday slammed climate change doubters as “stupid” in the wake of a spate of hurricanes that have thrashed the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
“Those who deny it (climate change) should go to the scientists and ask them. They are very clear, very precise,” the Pontiff said Monday during a press conference on the return leg of a five-day Colombia trip.
“A phrase from the Old Testament comes to mind: ‘Man is stupid, a stubborn, blind man’,” he added.
“When you don't want to see,
you don't see,” he said.
Francis said individuals and politicians have a “moral responsibility” to act on advice from scientists, who had clearly outlined what must be done to halt the course of global warming.
“These aren't opinions pulled out of thin air. They are very clear,” he said. “They (world leaders) decide and history will judge those decisions,” he added.
The Pope has been an ardent supporter of efforts to combat climate change and its consequences to the world's most vulnerable populations, in terms of pollution, disease, wars, and migration.
He has regularly criticized politicians in comments seen by many as a swipe at President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the COP21 Paris Agreement which binds countries to national pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
History will judge History will judge those who failed to take the necessary decisions to curb heat-trapping emissions blamed for the warming of the Earth, Pope Francis said when asked about climate change and the spate of hurricanes that have pummeled the US, Mexico, and the Caribbean recently as his charter plane left Colombia on Sunday and flew over some of the devastated areas.
Francis said scientists have also clearly charted what needed to be done to reverse course on global warming and said individuals and politicians have a "moral responsibility" to do their part.
Francis has made caring for the environment a hallmark of his papacy, writing an entire encyclical about how the poor in particular are most harmed when multinationals move into exploit natural resources.
During his visit to Colombia, Francis spoke out frequently about the need to preserve the country's rich biodiversity from overdevelopment and exploitation.