Pope Leo XIV announced on Monday (30) the appointment of Brazilian climatologist Carlos Nobre, 75, as a member of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development. Nobre, a leading expert on climate change and the Amazon, joins bishops, priests, and theologians. The move underscores the Church's commitment to environmental issues.
The Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, established in August 2016, promotes human development in line with Catholic doctrine, including aid for migrants and disaster victims.
Carlos Nobre, a researcher at USP's Institute of Advanced Studies, received the appointment with pride. "I have 43 years working on the Amazon, how to protect all biomes and combat the climate emergency the whole planet is facing. I feel called as a scientist to bring the value of seeking quick solutions," he told Folha. He added: "It is very important that religions also understand the risk we are putting the Earth in."
Nobre co-authored an IPCC report awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 and is a member of the Royal Society and Richard Branson's Planetary Guardians group. He holds an electronic engineering degree from ITA and a meteorology PhD from MIT.
The appointment aligns with the Church's environmental push, spurred by Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical Laudato Si' and the Paris Agreement. Recently, Leo XIV urged defense of the environment and held a special mass on preservation in July 2025.
