Ten years after Pope Francis’ landmark statement Laudato Si’ and 10 years after the Paris Climate Agreement that followed in the encyclical’s wake, the quest for net zero carbon emissions appears to have ground to a halt. Elected officials now pay little more than lip service to climate change even while the Earth’s temperature climbs inexorably upward.

The cost of living is on the rise too, and successful politicians know that is where the votes lie. When people cannot afford decent housing or are stretched by the cost of food, saving the planet will take a back seat. Few countries are living up to their commitments in Paris, and for the most part, are not being criticized for their dallying.

Way back when, the then-premier of Alberta, Ralph Klein, described leadership as seeing a parade and then getting in front of it. His current successor, Danielle Smith, takes the contrary approach. Seeing the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector in Alberta, Smith acted quickly to stop that growth in its tracks. It’s not often that a political leader kills an expanding industry that creates socially desirable jobs. But that’s the way it is here. 

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Of course, Alberta is only a drop in the bucket of the global oil industry. More relevant is the switcheroo in the United States where among Donald Trump’s first moves after being re-elected were to kill renewable energy projects and to make “Drill, baby drill” one of his slogans.

The other day, I had lunch with a friend who is an organizer for the Green Party. After expressing his frustration with the party’s prospects as well as the climate crisis itself, he quickly switched to a less depressing topic.

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However, despite the indifference of voters and elected officials, the world has accelerated its move to renewable energy over the past decade. The amount of solar power added to global electrical generation is doubling every three years and is now equivalent to the entire power demand of India. The majority of world solar generation is occurring outside the Western world with China making up 39 per cent of the global total. Besides China, it is countries such as Brazil, Germany and Australia that increasing solar usage the most. 

In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney has backtracked on his strong support for renewables in his pre-political days. Yet, that has not put a damper on the share prices of companies in the clean energy sector. After a few years in the doldrums, those prices have shot upwards in 2025.

Governments, of course, are long on rhetoric but short on action. The private sector and ordinary citizens tend to be the driving force for change in the economy and the wider culture. Many people have made lifestyle changes in the light of Laudato Si’ and the threat of climate change. My own daughters have eschewed traditional career paths and are variously occupied working on an organic farm, training to be a midwife, working for a First Nation. In their daily lives, they tread lightly on the earth. The number of homes with solar panels in my neighbourhood is growing and increasing numbers of people drive electric vehicles.

Still, for every motorist with an EV, there appear to be five behind the wheel of a large GMC or Ram truck roaring down city streets. Although renewables are providing a larger portion of total electricity demands, energy consumption is increasing faster than new technologies are growing. We can hope that soon the use of traditional energy sources will begin to decline, but it’s not a sure thing.

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Still, changing the culture is what matter most. People face enormous economic and social pressure to conform to the status quo, but many go in other directions despite that pressure. The Western world has spent the last few centuries operating under the assumption that the purpose of the planet and its life forms is to be exploited for human pleasure and profit.

However, the Christian outlook is one of gratitude for the beauty and bounty of creation. The very word “Eucharist” means thanksgiving. These are not idle words. They call for changes in how we view the world and live within in. Pope Francis is now gone, but his words live on, crying out for a new way. No matter how politicians respond or don’t respond, the ball is in our court. Will we face this crisis with fear, denial or gratitude? Only one approach offers hope.