Katharine Hayhoe, which is a world renowned climate scientist, has said that climate change is the greatest challenge confronting the world. She was speaking at the St. George's Cathedral on 29 February when she also said that faith can lead to positive change to address the issue.

Hayhoe, who is a professor of atmospheric science at Texas Technical University, said that climate change makes most other problems even worse. She said that she became passionate about the issue during a course she took while studying physics and astronomy at the University of Toronto. Hayhoe said that she learnt that climate change is an urgent problem and needs to be addressed.

She said, "It makes every other problem worse, access to clean water, development issues, we can't fix these problems if we leave climate change out of the picture. It'll be like pouring money into a bucket with a hole in the bottom that is getting bigger and bigger. That hole is climate change."

She completed her PHD in atmospheric science but said that science can explain the cause and impact of climate change but faith can help lead a positive change on the matter. She said that many people get their values from their faith and she believes that values and faith will dictate decisions on how to tackle climate change. Hayhoe even said that her faith keeps her motivated to spread awareness and create dialogue for solutions on this issue.