Nice I guess. I wonder how many people will change their mind due to this. My mom for example, has zero problems with simultaneously being ultra-catholic (explicitly pro-church, not just pro-religion) and at the same disagreeing with the pope whenever she feels like it.
My dad, very strong "Catholic". Pope says something, my dad, "ahh don't listen to him, he's an idiot"
My interpretation is he's not actually catholic just likes the church because sometime he can use it to justify his bigotry, when it's convenient for him and nobody has the energy to challenge the hypocrisy
Probably very few people will change their mind. It might sway a few Catholics who are on the fence about global climate change (somehow).
But what the Pope says will have an impact on young people from Catholic families who haven't learned much about climate change. Especially in places like the Philippines where climate change is quite literally lapping at their shores.
The idea that all Catholics have to do what the Pope says, or even agree with the Pope, is, frankly, anti-Catholic bullcrap - back when I was a very very small child, John Birch Society bigots were passing out pamphlets claiming JFK would be taking his orders from the Vatican.
But what the Pope does have is moral and persuasive authority. And when teenagers are growing up and learning about the world, and TikTok and right wing news are spewing all sorts of climate denial garbage at them, and they're being bombarded from all sides by the message that all politicians are liars and everybody's out to take your money and trying to change anything is hopeless - don't underestimate the influence of someone who's respected as not just a world leader but a good man.
So fucking insane to talk about "Critics of Global Warming" like its still something we need to debate.
The planet is frying and the American President is just cranking up the thermostat for the fun of it.
Not for fun, the fossil fuel companies donated something like $1B to his campaign. Might have the numbers off, but it was big news for a minute.
Now that his dementia's really settled in, they only need whisper in his ear.
As sad as it is to admit this, an American pope is the kind of ally that the world needs right now. I commend his stance to speak so clearly against the grain of his following and in-group, defending facts and science in the process of pursuing a better future to all of us.
Now, we know that the fake Christians of the Maga Cult in the U.S. will dodge this pope as a "woke compromised asset", but to a LOT of Christians and most catholics around the world this will act as a beacon that will make a diference.
As to if it will be enough of a difference? That remains to be seen.
The pessimist in me doesn't believe so. But I would love to be proven wrong. At least in minimising the foreseeable outcomes. Which is the game we've been playing for quite a while now.
Genuine progressive politics in the US is exceptionally important for the rest of the world.
No one person or single action is enough. That's ok. Working together is really the only path to where we need to go
Pope Leo XIV is hot. He hits the nail when he says the current state of affairs is really a reflection of the people . Be VERY careful out there, but take no shit from them.
You realize this is AI generated?
It's ultimately good news, but the framing is bizarre.
Who criticises global warming? Well, people like us, and pope Leo. As opposed to people who'd rather criticise us and claim that global warming is no biggie (or even not happening).
Similarly, who minimises climate change? Well, people who are actually doing something about it. People who are switching away from burning fossil fuels and taking other steps to minimise the impact of not only themselves, but others, by working in fields like renewable energy, transit, heat pumps, etc.
Even the other framing of "minimising the impact of climate change" means working with adaptation strategies.
I can only assume the framing is so weird because of choices the BBC made.
Im not into organized religion, but seems like this one is doing pretty good lately
Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.