Griffin Thompson

Griffin Thompson

Griffin Thompson is a retired U.S. State Department official, where he was a former U.S. lead climate change negotiator at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and head of the U.S. Delegation to the International Renewable Energy Agency. In 2023, Thompson served as expert (climate change) of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. He currently teaches courses on climate change, energy, ethics and technology at Loyola University Chicago. Thompson has a Ph.D. in political philosophy from Georgetown University and a B.A. in English from Gonzaga University. 

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A climate activist takes part in a demonstration Nov. 18 at the COP29 United Nations climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. (EarthBeat photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Catholic education could be key to unlock greater climate finance

Local and regionally based Catholic universities around the globe could help provide the expertise, innovation and creativity to climate challenges that can benefit developing countries. 

A BNSF railroad train hauling carloads of coal from the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming travels east of Hardin, Montana, July 15, 2020. (AP/Matthew Brown, file)

At the Holy See and in households, fossil fuels are a climate change scapegoat

The prophetic insights that we channel into climate scapegoating the fossil fuel industry are better placed speaking to a new vision of what could be. Let us Catholics shine a light on a more positive path. 

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, is seen in this screen grab reading Pope Francis' speech for the inauguration of the Faith Pavilion at COP28, the U.N. Climate Change Conference, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 3.

The Vatican should do more to influence UN climate action

Paris Agreement pledges alone won't reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Vatican can respond with an initiative based on the work of the Laudato Si' Action Platform and the competencies of Catholic universities. 

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