---
title: "Pope to Oil Execs: “Energy Use Must Not Destroy Civilization”"
description: "During a closed-doors audience at the Vatican, the Pope told oil executives that we need to find an energy solution that doesn't sacrifice the environment."
date: "2019-06-14"
modified: "2019-06-14"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/pope-oil-execs-energy-destroy-civilization"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "big oil"
  - "climate change"
  - "the digest"
  - "the oil industry"
---

# Pope to Oil Execs: “Energy Use Must Not Destroy Civilization”

![During a closed-doors audience at the Vatican, the Pope told oil executives that we need to find an energy solution that doesn't sacrifice the environment.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/pope-oil-execs-energy-destroy-civilization.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Jeffrey Bruno\</em\>*

## Carbon Pricing

During a closed-doors audience at the Vatican, Pope Francis told a number of oil executives that they need to find an energy solution that doesn't sacrifice the environment — in order to avoid "perpetrating a brutal act of injustice" against future generations.

"Civilization requires energy, but energy use must not destroy civilization," the Pope told the executives, as [quoted by the *BBC*](<https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48641799>).

What's needed is a "radical energy transition" that includes a "carbon pricing regime" to bolster the prospects for green energy, the Pope reportedly told execs from ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron and other energy giants.

## A Hail Mary

In a joint statement, the executives argued that governments should set pricing regimes to keep business going and encourage investment, while "minimizing the costs to vulnerable communities and supporting economic growth," as the [*Associated Press* reports](<https://www.apnews.com/3460d18f3d414f65b9a70575a3080832>).

"It’s clear we have to change pace. Progress has been insufficient and the emissions continue to grow," wrote energy company Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi in a statement, as quoted by *AP*.

It's not the first time Pope Francis met with oil execs to discuss the threat of climate change. The Pope met with oil execs almost exactly a year ago, [calling for](<https://thinkprogress.org/pope-francis-warns-fossil-fuel-execs-on-climate-f2d417d4401d/>) "a reduction in the systematic use of fossil fuels."

**READ MORE:** [Pope warns oil bosses of climate threat](<https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48641799>) \[*BBC*\]

**More on the Pope:** *[Microsoft's President Met With the Pope to Talk About Ethical AI](<https://futurism.com/microsoft-pope-ethical-ai>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)