Pope Francis has said that it would be "catastrophic" if special interests got in the way of a global agreement to curb the fossil fuel emissions blamed for global warming at a meeting next week in Paris over climate change. In a speech to the African UN headquarters Francis said the Paris negotiations marked a crucial step in developing a new energy system that "corrects the dysfunctions and distortions" of the current model of development and fights poverty. Francis has made ecological concerns a hallmark of his nearly three-year-old papacy, most notably with his encyclical Laudato Si' released in the spring. He said: "It would be sad, and dare I say even catastrophic, were special interests to prevail over the common good and lead to manipulating information in order to protect their own plans and interests."