(task) Pope: It Would Be 'Catastrophic' If 'Special Interests' Derailed Climate Talks

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> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-paris-climate-talks_5657259fe4b072e9d1c1d2e9 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pope-paris-climate-talks_5657259fe4b072e9d1c1d2e9>
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> Pope: It Would Be 'Catastrophic' If 'Special Interests' Derailed Climate Talks
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> NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Pope Francis warns it would be "catastrophic" if special interests get in the way of a global agreement to curb the fossil fuel emissions blamed for global warming at a meeting next week in Paris over climate change.
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> In a speech to the African U.N. headquarters on Thursday, Francis said the Paris negotiations mark a crucial step in developing a new energy system that "corrects the dysfunctions and distortions" of the current model of development and fights poverty.
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> Francis has made ecological concerns a hallmark of his nearly 3-year-old papacy. But on Thursday, he took particular aim at those who deny the science behind climate change.
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> In the United States, that accounts for several Republican presidential candidates and lawmakers, who have opposed steps U.S. President Barack Obama has taken on his own to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
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> He said: "It would be sad, and dare I say even catastrophic, were special interests to prevail over the common good and lead to manipulating information in order to protect their own plans and interests."