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At a 27 January conference in Rome, Rev. Henrik Grape, coordinator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Working Group on Climate Change, spoke about how to transform our world to sustainability and, at the same time, fight poverty and hunger without destroying the environment.
The conference, organized by several Catholic agencies and organizations, was held to publicly emphasize the urgency of ensuring a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels toward clean energy for all. Participants examined the links between fossil fuel divestment, investments in community-based renewable energy among Catholic organizations, and ecumenical efforts related to a sustainable future.
Over the last years many actors have taken their investments from the fossil fuel industry as a way of showing that a sustainable future must be fossil free.
Cardinal Peter K.A Turkson said in his keynote address that “you cannot remain indifferent or neglect the way you invest,“ and that “we can have an impact, a positive impact.“ He echoed the words of Pope Francis, who said that investment, responsibility and solidarity must be linked; resources shall be used in order to promote the economic and social development and satisfy basic needs (including access to energy), to have positive repercussions on local communities, on employment and on the environment.
Grape was invited to speak as both a representative of WCC and the Church of Sweden about non-Catholic faith communities that have already divested from the fossil industry.
“A sustainable future is a vision that must be fed and nurtured by values," said Grape. “The first victims of climate change are the poor and vulnerable of the world. And the message from faith communities in our ecumenical networks is stronger every year that climate change is for real. The ones with capacity must go first on the path of change.”
We can’t stay with investments in funds supporting fossil fuels while simultaneously advocating for low-carbon development, particularly knowing greenhouse gases will affect the poor people of the world first, Grape continued.
“We must act and not only talk. We have to use our wisdom, knowledge and values today and the economy must serve the planet and those who live there.”
The logic of the divestment call couldn’t be more simple, Grape urged: “If it’s wrong to wreck the climate, it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage.”
Faith communities are important voices in a large choir that tells us to move forward, he added. “The ethical motives for investments have a long history in the family of churches. We cannot act against climate change and call on political leaders and leaders of enterprises to stop climate change and, at the same time, invest in fossil fuels that are causing a huge part of the climate change.”
The conference was organized by the Catholic Agency For Overseas Development, Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité, Federazione Organismi Cristiani di Servizio Internazionale Volontario, Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation, Global Catholic Climate Movement and Trocaire.
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