It is time to be honest with ourselves. We are facing a myriad of global warming and ecological crisis rapidly escalating toward extinction levels. The collapse of multiple climate, biological and human systems is inevitable. But what next?

I recently asked a group gathered to hear me speak what percentage of the world’s energy is provided by these six renewable sources: solar, wind, geothermal, wave, tidal, and ocean energy.

Then came the guesses: To my left, 25 percent; straight ahead, 30 percent; on my right, 20 percent and 15 percent; a pessimist sitting to the far right, 7 percent.

It is great that the Catholic Church through its new Pope Francis is releasing a detailed new encyclical on global warming and preserving the environment. Hopefully the governing bodies of all the other major religions of the world will follow soon with their own similar statements about the morality of polluting and destroying our planet's life-critical environment.

In a move sure to upset climate change deniers around the world, Pope Francis plans to issue a papal encyclical this summer that will urge international action to protect the world from global warming.

The papal letter to Catholic bishops urging them to focus on the environment is bound to have a strong impact, being transmitted to 5,000 bishops, 400,000 priests and 1.2 billion Catholic Church members, translated into hundreds of languages and broadcast worldwide, Market Watch notes. 

Naomi Klein Photograph: Anya Chibis For The Guardian Anya Chibis For The Guardian/PR

Every good magician knows that the key to success is misdirecting the audience. You have to draw everyone’s attention away from your ultimate goal in order to perform the trick. Politics is no different, and one of the greatest misdirections in recent memory has been pulled off by the fossil fuel industry.