"VATICAN CITY — Ban Ki-moon arrived at the Vatican with his own college of cardinals. Mr. Ban, the United Nations secretary general, had brought the leaders of all his major agencies to see Pope Francis, a show of organizational muscle and respect for a meeting between two global institutions that had sometimes shared a bumpy past but now had a mutual interest." A roundup of stories about the papal encyclical to be released Thursday.

"In a major report to be released Monday, the Paris-based International Energy Agency — which provides independent energy analysis and has 29 member countries, including the United States — will state that current national commitments to cut greenhouse gases are still insufficient to keep the world below two degrees Celsius of warming above preindustrial levels."

"BRUSSELS -- Talks on phasing out a form of coal subsidies ended in stalemate as Japan, the biggest user of the aid, led calls for more time in defiance of this week's G7 pledge on fossil fuel subsidies, sources said."

"Selling seeds and pesticides used to be a sleepy, slow-moving business. That was, until about 20 years ago, when the chemical company Monsanto introduced genetically modified crops and started buying up seed companies. Ever since, companies in this industry have been maneuvering like hungry fish in a pond, occasionally dining on pieces of each other, hoping to survive through size and speed."

"A surprise agreement has been reached by envoys from about 190 nations after about a decade of talks on how to reduce deforestation in developing countries to help curb climate change."

"The hard-line anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society said it has agreed to pay $2.55 million in damages to Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research over its continued obstruction of whaling vessels despite an injunction."

"Top world leaders agreed Monday to dramatically reduce or altogether eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2100, in an announcement meant to build momentum for a global climate deal in Paris this December."

"President Barack Obama’s meeting Sunday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel is an opportunity for the pair to champion an issue dear to them both: climate change."

"The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is highly unlikely to agree to curbs on its members’ oil output at its meeting here on Friday, even though oil prices are about 40 percent lower than a year ago, OPEC officials and analysts say."

"Ikea, the world’s biggest furniture retailer, plans to spend €1bn ($1.13bn) on renewable energy and steps to help poor nations cope with climate change, the latest example of firms upstaging governments in efforts to slow warming."