Pope challenges leaders at UN talks to slow global warming before it is too late

Pope Francis warned world leaders to act now (AP)

Pope Francis has released an update to his landmark 2015 encyclical on the environment in which he shamed and challenged world leaders to commit to binding targets to slow climate change before it is too late.

He warned that the warming planet is fast reaching a “point of no return”.

“We are now unable to halt the enormous damage we have caused. We barely have time to prevent even more tragic damage,” Francis warned.

The document, “Praise God”, was released on the feast of St Francis of Assisi, the pontiff’s nature-loving namesake, and was aimed at spurring negotiators to commit to binding climate targets at the next round of UN talks in Dubai.