"The Pope ... it's one of the great positions of moral leadership. Pope Francis Credit:Handout "[It's] a position of global moral leadership in the world and drawing attention to these environmental issues – climate change reducing greenhouse gas emissions is one of them." In opposition, Mr Abbott described climate change as "absolute crap" and in his 2009 book Battlelines said it was unclear if humans were contributing to global warming. As Prime Minister, he has said the government now accepts the science and takes the issue of climate change "very seriously".

But since he was elected, Mr Abbott has quickly dismantled much of Australia's climate policy and appointed a climate sceptic to lead a review into renewable energy. Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Reflecting on the Pope's encyclical - which Mr Turnbull said he had read about two-thirds of in the "early hours of this morning" - the Communications Minister added that young people identified strongly with issues such as climate change and had become disillusioned with leaders that showed little concern for the environment. He said the document could be seen as an appeal to attract a new generation of people to the church. "What the Pope points out in it is that young people have become estranged from - not just from the church but also from governments and people in positions of power, because they feel that their elders are not taking these environmental issues seriously," Mr Turnbull said.

"I think this is a very, very significant move by the Pope, to make the church and the leadership of the church much more relevant to young people." In his first solo encyclical – an important letter of papal teaching – Pope Francis decries the impact humans have had on the planet. He writes that there is solid scientific consensus that most of the global warming the world is witnessing is the result of greenhouse gases released by human activity. Pope Francis says fossil fuels, especially coal will have to be "progressively replaced" without delay. The document comes six months ahead of a major climate summit in Paris, where countries are expected to reach a new global climate deal.

Many countries have already announced their post 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. The Abbott government has appointed its own taskforce within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to advise on what Australia's targets should be and an announcement is expected mid-July. Pope Francis' calls for increased reliance on renewable energy come as the government prepares to pass legislation to reduce Australia's renewable energy target and after Mr Abbott boasted the cut would lead to fewer wind farms being constructed in Australia. But Mr Turnbull told the ABC that Australia had always been prepared to do its bit on climate change. "Australia's always been prepared to play a part, a responsible part, proportionate to our size, with other countries. It has to be a global effort," he said.

"I really would commend everyone to read the Pope's encyclical, by the way. It's a very, very interesting and eloquent document. There's a lot more in it than just discussion of climate change." The Archbishop of Melbourne and Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president Denis Hart thinks political leaders including Mr Abbott, should re-examine their views on climate change following the Pope's encyclical. "I think we have to take comments as of today rather than as of yesterday," he told reporters in Melbourne on Friday. "That's why I'm suggesting that our leaders should analyse the situation and look at what the Pope's seeing. "This is the whole point of the encyclical - he wants us to see things in a new light."

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