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Climate Pilgrim

Climate Pilgrim

Written by: Richard Delevan
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A cradle Catholic climate journalist wanders through the borderlands of climate and faith, seeking some truth. Get full show notes and bonus content at climatepilgrim.com. Climate Pilgrim is a sister project of Wicked Problems - Climate Tech Conversations, at wickedproblems.earth.


We invite your feedback. Follow us on BlueSky at @climatepilgrim.com!

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Richard Delevan Political Science Politics & Government Science Spirituality
Episodes
  • Pope Leo's encyclical will be Laudato Si for AI

    Pope Leo's encyclical will be Laudato Si for AI
    May 23 2026

    Full details on wickedproblems.earth!


    Professor Federica Genovese of Oxford, Professor Lorenzo Crippa of Strathclyde, and veteran journalist Dave Vetter join host Richard Delevan to discuss Magnifica Humanitas, the papal encyclical being published Monday 25th May 2026. In an unprecedented step, Pope Leo will personally launch the encyclical, joined by theologians, ethicists, and Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah. Genovese and Crippa discuss their research paper, Papal Dividends, which looked at past encyclicals including Laudato Si: Care for our Common Home released by Pope Francis in 2015 and how they affected the market value of companies in sectors mentioned by the encyclical. The Vatican has worked on AI ethics issues for years, but this will be a defining moment of Leo's year-old papacy, tying in concerns about the place of humans in the economy and society, the climate impacts of data centres, the use of AI in warfare including current conflicts in Ukraine, Russia, Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran.


    At a time when the backlash against AI is building, Eric Schmidt and others booed at commencement addresses when mentioning AI, and Peter Thiel going to Rome to accuse anyone trying to slow AI down as 'the antichrist', how will Magnifica Humanitas be received?


    00:00 AI as Defining Issue

    00:38 Pope Leo’s AI Encyclical

    02:21 Can Encyclicals Move Markets

    06:04 Media Backlash and Polarization

    11:06 Measuring the Market Impact

    13:46 AI Bubble and Investor Stakes

    16:11 How Leo XIV Might Land

    20:28 Legitimacy and Public Trust

    28:00 Thiel Rome and AI Warfare

    34:12 What to Watch Next Week


    Read Genovese and Crippa's research, Papal Dividends: https://lorenzo-crippa.github.io/files/papal_dividends.pdf

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    38 mins
  • Touch the Feckin' Grass. w Bishop Martin Hayes, Jane Mellett, Eamon Ryan

    Touch the Feckin' Grass. w Bishop Martin Hayes, Jane Mellett, Eamon Ryan
    Oct 21 2025
    Discussing the Irish contingent at the Raising Hope conference and the future of faith and climate action: Bishop Martin Hayes of Kilmore; former Irish environment minister and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan; and campaigner Jane Mellett, church manager at Irish Catholic overseas development agency Trocaire. More information at climatepilgrim.com.

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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Who is my Tu/Akoi (Neighbour)?

    Who is my Tu/Akoi (Neighbour)?
    Oct 21 2025
    Who is my neighbour? 1.5°C is about neighbours, not numbers. Climate Minister Maina Talia of Tuvalu speaks to Richard Delevan about moral clarity in climate and denies the Australian 'climate visa' is about relocating his population. More information at climatepilgrim.com.

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    32 mins
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