Pope Francis lights up Twitter feed with climate change truth bombs

Timothy McGrath | GlobalPost

Pope Francis didn't pull any punches in his letter on climate change.

The science of climate change is clear, he explains. Humans are at fault. We're destroying the Earth and killing ourselves. The world's poorest people are bearing the worst of it, and the most blame lies with rich countries and corporations that pursue profit and economic growth with little or no regard for people and the environment. It's time for change.

That's the basic message of "Laudato Si," but there's a lot more in there, including messages on clean water access, biodiversity, conflicts and violence related to control over natural resources, technology, and a consumerist culture that Francis calls "throwaway culture."

The whole letter is 183 pages long — about 38,000 words. You can read it in full here, if you wish. But nobody's going to blame you if you want the abridged version.

Pope Francis has got your back. For past day, he's been tweeting key points from his encyclical to his 20+ million Twitter followers. It would take more than 1,600 tweets to reproduce the entire letter, but we're guessing he won't go quite that long.

Here are some of his most poignant tweets on the subject:

• "I invite all to pause to think about the challenges we face regarding care for our common home. #LaudatoSi"

• "There is an intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet. #LaudatoSi"

• "The throwaway culture of today calls for a new lifestyle. #LaudatoSi"

• "The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all."

• "Climate change represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day. #LaudatoSi"

• "The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth."

• "The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together."

• "The deterioration of the environment and of society affect the most vulnerable people on the planet."

• "To blame population growth, and not an extreme consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues."

• "We need only to take a frank look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into serious disrepair. #LaudatoSi"

• "Each community has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations."

• "Earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. #LaudatoSi"

• "Never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely."

• "For indigenous communities, land is not a commodity, but a gift from God, a sacred space."

• "What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?"

• "Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility. #LaudatoSi"

• "Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change."

• "Let us sing as we go. May our struggles and our concern for this planet never take away the joy of our hope."

This article originally appeared on GlobalPost.

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