Fossil fuels were always dangerous. Now they're fueling war on my doorstep.

Ukrainian people continue to resolutely and boldly resist Russia's incessant and atrocious attacks in a war fueled by Russian oil, gas and coal. Among the dreadfully bombarded is the Ukrainian city of Mariupol — "a city of martyrs in the terrible war ravaging Ukraine," as Pope Francis recalled at the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus on March 13, joining his voice to that of the common people who implore an end to the war.

Irrefutably, fossil fuels have become a weapon of mass destruction, both for war in Ukraine and in the climate crisis. Still, we must continue believing that we can overcome not only a war in Ukraine and conflicts in other regions of the world but also our dependency on oil, gas and coal, now and forever.

"For some time we've been speaking on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. It will address most of our crises — climate crisis, biodiversity loss, ecological crisis in general and a question of peace," Fr. Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, coordinator of ecology and creation at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, pointed out during a Laudato Si' Movement webinar on March 10.

The brutal attack by Russia on Ukraine in combination with speculative price increases and the rebound in demand for oil and gas has led to soaring food and energy prices and market uncertainty across the globe. But at its roots, this is a conflict that has been bankrolled by the coal, oil and gas industries, industries that account for 40% of Russia's federal budget and 60% of Russia's exports.