When it comes to climate change, it's often thought that religion and science don't mix. But American author Bill McKibben says religious leaders such as Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, and the so-called 'Green Patriarch' Bartholomew 1—the leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church—are becoming 'a great asset' in galvanising global action on climate change.

McKibben is co-founder of the global climate change movement 350.org. In America, he says religion and science have been trumped by political lobbying and cash from the fossil fuel industry.

He warns that Australia has become a 'rogue nation' disproportionately contributing to climate change.