Pope Francis Hands Trump 192-Page Letter About Climate Change

During US President Trump's visit to the Vatican, Pope Francis handed a 192-page encyclical he wrote about climate change. In the letter the Pope released in 2015, he wrote in detail why we should continue to fight against climate change. Pope Francis reportedly wrote this ahead of the Paris Agreement on climate change 2 years ago, where 200 countries signed.

The 192-page encyclical, called 'Laudato Si' or 'Praised Be' fundamentally connects the protection of the earth to the Catholics' faith in God. The letter says that climate change is a "global problem which has grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political, and for the distribution of goods."

The US is known to have the largest carbon footprint on the globe, along with carbon-emitting countries like China and India. A few of former US President Obama's legacies are his initiatives on environment issues such as establishing a national park in Hawaii and mobilizing legislation on clean energy.

But the current US President is known to be a vehement denier of climate change, calling it a 'hoax', and claiming that it is a propaganda started by the Chinese. But since his meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, Trump has become more subtle in his allegations. Maybe after reading the Pope's letter, Trump's stance softens further.

In the letter, Pope Francis also addresses Trump's ties to multinational companies and how they affect climate change. The Pope writes, "The pollution produced by companies which operate in less developed countries in ways they could never do at home, in those countries in which they raise their capital: We note that often the businesses that operate this way are multinationals. They do here what they would never do in developed countries or the so-called first world." He continued, "By itself, the market cannot guarantee integral human development and social inclusion."

It's worth noting that in President Trump's federal budget plans, he proposes to cut the EPA and State Department's budget - two agencies that do a lot of work on climate change. We'll see if his Vatican visit will give him a change of heart.