Pope Francis Shifts Climate Change Focus to Moral Case For Action

The buildup to Pope Francis' planned encyclical on global climate change has begun, with the moral case for acting to combat manmade global warming taking center stage in a way it never has before. The encyclical, which is a papal letter sent to all bishops around the world, will likely come out next month, but Francis is already having an influence on the global debate about climate change. The pope's involvement comes at a critical time for climate action, as global leaders work toward creating an entirely new framework for a bottom-up climate agreement that will involve every nation in the world committing to do their part to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.