Pope Leo XIV on Monday urged countries at United Nations climate talks to take “concrete actions” to stop climate change that is threatening the planet, telling them humans are failing in their response to global warming and that "the creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms and relentless heat."

In a video message played for religious leaders gathered in Belem, Leo said nations had made progress, “but not enough.”

“One in three people live in great vulnerability because of these climate changes,” Leo said. “To them, climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity.”

His video came as the talks were moving into their second week, with high-level ministers from governments around the world arriving at the edge of the Brazilian Amazon to join negotiations. Monday was dominated by speeches, with several leaders from Global South nations giving emotional testimony on devastating costs of recent extreme weather and natural disasters.

Vulnerable nations have pressed for more ambition at these talks as world leaders have begun to acknowledge that Earth will almost surely go past a hoped-for limit — 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in Earth's warming since pre-industrial times. That was the target set at these talks in 2015 in the landmark Paris agreement.

Scientists say in addition to deadly heat, a warming atmosphere leads to more frequent and deadly extreme weather such as flooding, droughts, violent downpours and more powerful hurricanes.

Leo said there's still time to stay within the Paris Agreement, but not much.

“As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift He entrusted to us,” he said. And he added: “But we must be honest: it is not the Agreement that is failing, we are failing in our response. What is failing is the political will of some.”

Leo made history this year by becoming the first American pope, and has embraced Pope Francis’ environmental legacy, including dismissing climate skeptics.

The U.S., the world's second-largest polluter, is skipping the conference. U.S. President Donald Trump called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” during a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in September.

AP Video by Brittany Peterson

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