Pope Francis gave a warning to 50 top oil company executives about the dangers of fossil fuels. At a private meeting on Saturday, he asked oil companies to switch to renewable energies for the sake of our planet. He said global warming represented a challenge of "epochal proportions". He said companies must act and that there was no time to lose. He warned that: "With each month that passes, the challenge of energy transition becomes more pressing."

Pope Francis explained the importance of greener energy. He said: "The energy question has become one of the principal challenges…facing the international community. The way we meet this challenge will determine our overall quality of life." Francis said fossil fuels led to poverty and war and could either cause more wars or prevent them. He added: "Clean energy is a duty that we owe…generations yet to come."