Pope Francis and the environment, act 2. Time for decisive climate action

Amidst increasing polarization on climate policy, Pope Francis’ exhortation Laudate Deum (October 2023) is a contribution to keep the planetary emergency up on the global agenda. In contrast with his previous encyclical Laudato si’, the Pontiff unequivocally states the anthropic origin of climate change. Justifying his plea with the lack of progress of multilateralism without formal mechanisms of enforcement, the Pontiff explicitly calls for new governance arrangements and binding instruments for the enforcement of climate protection agreements. With no legal character for the Church, the document has had no strong effect in the short run. However, in line with recent pronouncements of other religious leaders, it is a vigorous moral challenge to climate scepticism and inertia, restating the engagement of religion as an agent for change in promoting climate action.