Blog post
When the climate convention was created, there was a window of opportunity—a time when the geopolitical situation felt more open and hope for the future was growing. Thirty years later, I must acknowledge that the world has lost many opportunities to avoid the consequences of unsustainable development. We found ourselves that day in Bonn facing a more precarious position than we had anticipated back then, making the upcoming COP30 all the more critical.
The reality remains stark: greenhouse gas emissions continue rising, fossil fuels remain our major energy source, biodiversity loss accelerates, and climate-related disasters displace more people than ever before. On top of this, we witness more intense wars across the globe— conflicts that bring not only death, loss of homes, and suffering, but also ecological destruction that sometimes reaches the level of ecocide.
Yet during those days in Bonn, I witnessed faith communities coming together to raise our voices for justice and solidarity with those most affected as we prepared for the crucial negotiations ahead. This didn't mean we ignored the acute situations where missiles and drones explode in war zones. Rather, I believe climate justice offers a path toward peace—a message we must carry strongly to Belém.
In times when multilateralism faces questioning and nationalism rises, faith communities can play a unique role. Faiths aren't limited by borders—we are, by definition, communities that transcend boundaries. Though I observed during our time in Bonn how some faith communities adjust to nationalistic agendas from New Delhi to Moscow to Washington, I view this subordination to national political powers as a betrayal of our faith traditions.
There was another voice that emerged from faith communities in Bonn—one that carried witnesses from life on the frontlines of climate change. Indigenous peoples, women, children, youth, and others brought testimonies that mattered. We came with a vision of justice and peace on earth as well as with earth. Our voices spoke truth to power about the emergency we face and the need for just transitions—or perhaps what's needed is a just transformation entirely. These voices must be amplified as we now approach COP30.
Faith communities represented one of the few actors in the UNFCCC environment who came with the interests of the poor and vulnerable at heart, rather than business or national interests—a perspective that will be essential in the Amazon setting of COP30.
Our preparation in Bonn for COP30 brought together both ecumenical and interfaith networks to coordinate our approach and reach out to delegates from different nations. The Interfaith Liaison Committee issued a call to COP30 with demands for climate justice and just transitions from our fossil fuel-based economy. We called for higher ambitions in mitigating CO2 emissions and providing climate finance for those most affected—reparations for what the rich world has done through decades of fossil fuel burning.
For decades, the WCC has participated in UNFCCC meetings to address the injustices that climate change makes visible and to emphasize that climate change is fundamentally a matter of ethics and spirituality. As we now prepare for COP30 in the heart of the Amazon, we cannot solve this crisis without addressing its roots and the climate injustices that follow. These roots lie in how we understand humanity's relationship to the global ecosystem.
Are we the top species, free to use everything as resources? Or are we one among many species, dependent on functioning ecosystems? Is everything for sale, or are there limits to an extractive economy? Do you have more rights if you're rich than if you're poor? These questions will be particularly poignant as we gather in the Amazon, where Indigenous wisdom has long provided answers.
From ecumenical and interfaith voices that gathered in Bonn, you could hear a different song, another narrative—one about humans being part of creation. We live in an interdependent ecosystem that we must respect and live accordingly within. There is plenty for all if we share and live "earthly." Peace on earth is achieved through peace with earth. This message feels especially relevant as we prepare to meet in Belém, surrounded by the Amazon rainforest.
As the WCC launches the Decade of Climate Justice Action and we approach this pivotal COP30, I hope our member churches and friends will seize this opportunity to engage in climate justice actions and begin dialogues about how we can live together on this planet without destroying it. How can we contribute to a just transformation and secure a future for coming generations?
Let's give space to new interpretations of scripture that honour Indigenous peoples' wisdom, youth aspirations, and women's experiences—everything that can push our world toward a more peaceful and sustainable place. The momentum we built in Bonn must carry us forward to make COP30 in Belém a turning point for climate justice.
About the author :
Rev. Henrik Grape is World Council of Churches senior advisor for Care for Creation, Sustainability, and Climate Justice.
