This is upsetting some American conservatives, particularly those beholden to large corporations whose profits might be impacted by legislation to limit carbon emissions.
It’s even riling Catholics, with presidential candidate Rick Santorum, perhaps the most devout papist in American political life, recently telling Francis to stay out of climate change and “leave the science to the scientists.” That would be Pope Francis who has a masters degree in chemistry making him, well, a scientist.
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Santorum: 'When we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, I think the church is not as forceful and credible'
Still, Santorum was happy to dismiss Francis’ warnings, telling a radio show on Monday: "The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think that we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists and focusing on what we're really good at, which is theology and morality. When we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, I think the church is not as forceful and credible."
In short, stick to the bedroom, Francis, and let shareholders make their profits.
Yet Santorum isn’t just an enemy of climate change. He’s an enemy of science. Not content to dismiss man-made global warming as a "hoax," despite 97 percent of scientists publishing peer-reviewed papers to the contrary, he also likes to deny the theory of evolution, preferring to believe in creationism.
The Pope is due to deliver a papal letter detailing his concerns on the impact of man-made climate change in the coming weeks
Likewise Rick's fellow White House hopeful Marco Rubio who, when not calling gay rights a “real and present danger” to freedom, likes to talk about how humans have nothing to do with the Earth's temperature.
"Humans are not responsible for climate change in the way some of these people out there are trying to make us believe,” he recently argued, adding: “I believe the climate is changing because there’s never been a moment where the climate is not changing.”
Then there is Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who at a foreign policy think tank discussion in London in February, refused to answer whether he believed in evolution, much to the delight of the British crowd.
Should you be wondering why some American politicians are forced to deny basic science, here's the answer.
The impacts of climate warming in Alaska are already occurring, experts have warned. Over the past 50 years, temperatures across Alaska increased by an average of 3.4°F. Winter warming was even greater, rising by an average of 6.3°F jeopardising its famous glaciers and frozen tundra.
Venice(02 of09)
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The most fragile of Italian cities has been sinking for centuries. Long famous for being the city that is partially under water, sea level rise associated with global warming would have an enormous impact on Venice and the surrounding region. The Italian government has begun constructing steel gates at the entrances to the Venetian lagoon, designed to block tidal surges from flooding the city. However, these barriers may not be enough to cope with global warming.
Antarctica (03 of09)
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The West Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming areas on Earth, with only some areas of the Arctic Circle experiencing faster rising temperatures. Over the past 50 years, temperatures in parts of the continent have jumped between 5 and 6 degrees F— a rate five times faster than the global average.A 2008 report commissioned by WWF warned that if global temperatures rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial averages, sea ice in the Southern Ocean could shrink by 10 to 15 percent.
The Great Barrier Reef(04 of09)
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The rapid decline of the world's coral reefs appears to be accelerating, threatening to destroy huge swathes of marine life unless dramatic action is swiftly taken, leading ocean scientists have warned. About half of the world's coral reefs have already been destroyed over the past 30 years, as climate change warms the sea and rising carbon emissions make it more acidic.
The Himalayas(05 of09)
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The world's highest mountain range contains the planet's largest non-polar ice mass, with over 46,000 glaciers. The mammoth glaciers cross eight countries and are the source of drinking water, irrigation and hydroelectric power for roughly 1.5 billion people. And just like in Antarctica, the ice is melting.
The Maldives(06 of09)
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An expected 2°C rise in the world’s average temperatures in the next decades will impact island economies such as the Maldives with extreme weather patterns and rising sea levels.
The Alps(07 of09)
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Over the last century, global warming has caused all Alpine glaciers to recede. Scientists predict that most of the glaciers in the Alps could be gone by 2050. Global warming will also bring about changes in rain and snowfall patterns and an increase in the frequency of extreme meteorological events, such as floods and avalanches, experts have warned.
The Arctic(08 of09)
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The Arctic is ground zero for climate change, warming at a rate of almost twice the global average. The sea ice that is a critical component of Arctic marine ecosystems is projected to disappear in the summer within a generation.
Micronesia and Polynesia(09 of09)
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Called the "epicenter of the current global extinction," by Conservation International, this smattering of more than 4,000 South Pacific islands is at risk from both local human activity and global climate change.