Greeted by thousands at the White House, Pope Francis spoke about climate change during his first visit to the United States Wednesday.

Pope Francis praised President Obama for his actions in developing a plan to combat climate change as the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris nears this December. This conference will be the world’s first substantive climate agreement in history.

“I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution,” Francis said. “Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation.”

The Pope spent the majority of his speech discussing the issue of climate change, and he deemed this moment critical in history.

Colorado State University was named one of the most important universities for President Obama to hear from prior to negotiating climate change in Paris, according to the Climate Reality Project.

Through America’s Clean Power Plan, President Obama is addressing carbon pollution standards for power plants, a first in United States history. The Clean Power Plan sets standards to reduce carbon emissions by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Collegian News Editor Christina Vessa can be reached online at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @ChrissyVessa.