There were some strong religious statements on climate change this week. The Dalai Lama, Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and other key Buddhist leaders demanded an end to the use of fossil fuels. The leaders released a statement on Thursday (October 29) ahead of the United Nations conference on climate change in Paris next month. The statement said their call to action was grounded in the Buddhist teaching of universal interdependence.

Roman Catholic bishops from around the world released their own statement. Bishops from five continents pleaded for a major break-through in Paris and asked that the climate agreement reached there be “truly transformational.” Citing Pope Francis’s recent letter on the environment,  the bishops reaffirmed that the natural environment is both made for everyone and the responsibility of all. Like Francis, the Catholic bishops called special attention to the poor.