Laudato Si'

Laudato Si isn't the only reason I became a Catholic, but it's a big one. As someone who has worked as a climate activist and read a lot in the genre, for my money this is the best thing anyone's written about the climate crisis and its underlying problems.

As a teacher, I'm supposed to affirm “don't teach them what to think, teach them how to think.” But in this case... just about every line is what I hope everyone will come to think about the climate crisis and our way forward. Francis pulls on the rich history of Catholic Social Teaching and Liberation Theology, his own experience growing up in the Global South (he's Argentinian), and delivers a profound critique of the Western individualistic, consumeristic mindset.

It's also fairly short (~100 pages) and is pretty accessible. Highly, highly recommended.