Pope Francis warned on Wednesday that the world is facing a “grave environmental crisis” and spoke of the intersection between social justice and the protection of nature.

The pontiff’s comments, made in the Kenyan capital at the start of his first visit to the continent, come just days ahead of the UN climate summit in Paris, where global delegates will hammer out an agreement to curb climate change.

“The grave environmental crisis facing our world demands an ever greater sensitivity to the relationship between human beings and nature,” Francis said at the State House in Nairobi, where he spoke to President Uhuru Kenyatta and political leaders.

“We have a responsibility to pass on the beauty of nature in its integrity to future generations, and an obligation to exercise a just stewardship of the gifts we have received.

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“In effect, there is a clear link between the protection of nature and the building of a just and equitable social order. There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature, without a renewal of humanity itself,” he said, referencing his widely heralded encyclical.

“To the extent that our societies experience divisions, whether ethnic, religious or economic, all men and women of good will are called to work for reconciliation and peace, forgiveness and healing. In the work of building a sound democratic order, strengthening cohesion and integration, tolerance and respect for others, the pursuit of the common good must be a primary goal,” he said.