--- description: "We are at the limits of suicide," he said as the U.N. climate-change conference kicks off title: Pope Francis Says World Nearing Climate-Change 'Suicide' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta953dda65e114af9/6988731acd1bba72956fe4e0/pope-francis-climate-change1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Environment](/tag/environment/) ## Environment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Pope Francis Says World Nearing Climate-Change 'Suicide'  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 30, 2015 8:32 PM CUT  Pope Francis talks to journalists during a press conference he held aboard the flight on the way back to Italy on Nov. 30, 2015 Pope Francis talks to journalists during a press conference he held aboard the flight on the way back to Italy on Nov. 30, 2015Andrew Medichini—AP  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 30, 2015 8:32 PM CUT Pope Francis said the U.N.’s [conference on climate change](http://time.com/4123568/paris-climate-conference-preview/ "undefined") that began in Paris on Monday may be one of the last opportunities for countries to take steps toward avoiding an environmental catastrophe. “I am not sure, but I can say to you ‘now or never,’” he said when asked if he thought the Paris summit would be a turning point aboard the papal plane on Monday, [Reuters reports](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/30/us-climatechange-summit-pope-idUSKBN0TJ2FY20151130#hLlVjKDwXEmMTeH0.97 "undefined"). “Every year the problems are getting worse. We are at the limits. If I may use a strong word I would say that we are at the limits of suicide.” Pope Francis, who pushed for Catholics to pay attention to climate change [last year](http://time.com/3920540/pope-francis-environment/ "undefined"), pointed to rising sea levels and Greenland’s melting glaciers as evidence of a need for nations to act during a conference with reporters on a flight back to Rome after his six-day visit to Africa. “I am sure that the \[Paris delegates\] have goodwill to do something. I hope it turns out this way and I am praying that it will,” Francis said. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/30/us-climatechange-summit-pope-idUSKBN0TJ2FY20151130#hLlVjKDwXEmMTeH0.97 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4129640/pope-francis-climate-change-paris/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4129640/pope-francis-climate-change-paris/"},"headline":"Pope Francis Says World Nearing Climate-Change 'Suicide'","datePublished":"2015-11-30T20:32:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:58:16.901Z","description":"Its \"now or never,\" the Pontiff says","url":"https://time.com/4129640/pope-francis-climate-change-paris/","keywords":["Environment","climate change","Pope Francis topic","Vatican"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta953dda65e114af9/6988731acd1bba72956fe4e0/pope-francis-climate-change1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nolan Feeney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta953dda65e114af9/6988731acd1bba72956fe4e0/pope-francis-climate-change1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Africa Pope","caption":"Africa Pope","creditText":"Andrew Medichini—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4129640/pope-francis-climate-change-paris/","name":"Pope Francis Says World Nearing Climate-Change 'Suicide'"}}]}] ```