The final document responded to the scientists' call to close the gap towards 1.5C, but COP26 was a disappointment
because changes are far too slow. The commitments of the first week on finance, forests, end of public finance for
fossil fuel, methane and cars must now be translated into real policy. Finance for loss and damage must be at the top
of the agenda for November 2022’s COP27 in Egypt.
So, our work in the UK is far from done. Campaigning, educating and praying for Climate Justice continues. The UN is
the closest thing the world has to a global governance platform and one where the smaller nations have a voice. We
must persevere with it. Only working collaboratively will eventually secure climate justice. The demonstrations outside
the Glasgow summit and pilgrimages all demonstrate that faiths are a powerful lobby, highlighting the moral aspects of
the climate issue and inspiring hope.
The next Conference of Parties - COP15 - on Biodiversity, will be held in Kunming, China, 25 April-8 May
2022. Another imperative for increased commitment to phasing out the burning of fossil fuels to limit global warming is
that this is a key driver of biodiversity loss. Species are now becoming extinct at a rate 1000 to 10,000 times higher than the
“natural rate”. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity legally binds the 196 nation signatories to conserve biological resources.
SOME POSSIBLE ACTIONS
Sign the Healthy People, Healthy Planet Petition
Calls for climate and biodiversity action ahead of the Biodiversity summit in April/May and November’s COP27 Climate
Conference in Egypt.
https://thecatholicpetition.org/ and see https://www.christianaid.org.uk/news/what-happened-cop26-and-
what-next
Encourage your MP support for the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill
A blueprint for serious climate and ecological action in the UK. It aims to make climate targets law so that government
is bound to them. See https://www.ceebill.uk. And ‘A Faith Response to the CEE Bill’ at
https://greenchristian.org.uk/the-climate-and-ecological-emergency-bill/
The Bright Now campaign calls on Churches to divest from fossil fuels, speeding up the transition to a brighter, cleaner future.
https://brightnow.org.uk/get-involved/divest-your-church-map/
Personal lifestyle transformation could go alongside programmes for parishes and schools, such as Live Simply
and Eco-congregation. The Plenty! study programme of Green Christian examines such issues as ‘consumerism’ and
‘sustainability’. https://joyinenough.org/
Prayer
Lord, we praise and thank you for the beauty and goodness of creation around us. Help us to reverence all of creation,
respecting the rights of all species, and the integrity of the climate. Help us to hear the cry of the Earth and the cry of
the poor and work together to find ways of caring for God’s creation.
Amen.
