European environmental policy is based on Articles 174 to 176 of the EC Treaty (Articles 191 to 193 of the future Treaty on the Functioning of the EU). Harmonising legislation is generally passed jointly by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament through the co-decision procedure. Moreover, according to Article 6 of the EC Treaty (Article 11 TFEU), environmental conservation requirements must also be taken into account when establishing and implementing other Community policies. The new Treaty on the Functioning of the EU mentions the battle against climate change as a particular aim of European environmental policy for the first time (in Article 191, paragraph 1).

"The Church has a responsibility towards creation and she must assert this responsibility in the public sphere," says Pope Benedict XVI in his latest encyclical letter, Caritas in Veritate. Conservation of the environment, sustainable development and responsible use of the earth's natural resources are an inherent part of Catholic social doctrine. In his encyclical letter, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us: "We must recognize our grave duty to hand the earth on to future generations in such a condition that they too can worthily inhabit it and continue to cultivate it. This means being committed to making joint decisions "after pondering responsibly the road to be taken, decisions aimed at strengthening that covenant between human beings and the environment, which should mirror the creative love of God, from whom we come and towards whom we are journeying"(para 50). This call for intergenerational justice is being severely tested in particular by human-induced climate change .