With experts and global leaders looking to Pope Francis as a moral compass, his upcoming encyclical on the environment set for this summer could set a key ethical framework for discussion and policies surrounding the topic.The document has already been written and is currently being translated.

“We look to Pope Francis as a great moral leader for all humanity, all people here from every walk of life and every religion. His encyclical will make a huge difference. It's being expected around the world with great anticipation,” say Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and a special adviser to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

“The whole world looks to Pope Francis for inspiration, and that's well beyond the Roman Catholics in the world, it’s all of us,” he says, adding that the Pope's encyclical will play a huge role  in the climate change discussion. The economy “must work within a moral framework, a moral framework meaning one that can deliver for the human good. And this makes the Church’s message very important for the entire world.”