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Extensive and quick reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the wealthy parts of the world is one of the demands in the Uppsala Manifesto, which has been signed at a 27-30 November Interfaith Climate Summit in Uppsala, Sweden.
The manifesto targets the political and religious leaders of the world and has been signed by 26 opinion makers from different faith traditions. It calls on political leaders to reach agreement during the preparations of the new global Climate Protocol 2009 on a strategy that is sufficiently responsible and ambitious for the earth to be saved for future generations.
Signatories include two members of the World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee: Bishop Sofie Petersen, from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (Greenland) and Father Leonid Kishkovsky, ecumenical officer of the Orthodox Church in America (USA). Prof. Jesse Mugambi, from the Anglican Church of Kenya and a member of the WCC Working Group on Climate Change, is among the signatories, too.
The head of the Church of Sweden Archbishop Anders Wejryd, who convened the Uppsala Interfaith Climate Summit, will present the manifesto to the Swedish government and to the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is meeting in Poznan, Poland this week.
Major changes needed
The religious leaders who have signed the manifesto want to see major changes particularly in the wealthy countries. An extensive and quick reduction of greenhouse gas emissions was essential, they said. The introduction of a mandatory international fee-payment system for emissions was suggested, where payment would be in proportion to the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted by each country and its ability to pay.
Since religious leaders see the climate question as a deep spiritual issue, they questioned that responsibility for attempting to reverse current developments should be placed in the hands of politicians alone.
The signatories of the manifesto therefore committed themselves to inform and inspire people to take responsibility for effective measures to combat climate change within their respective cultural and religious contexts. They also promised to challenge both political and business leaders in their home countries to develop comprehensive strategies and actions.
"The voices of the churches should join other religious voices to firmly request that state parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the international community move towards a much needed principle-based approach for reaching an effective and equitable global climate policy regime built on the ethical imperatives of justice, responsibility and solidarity," said Dr Guillermo Kerber, WCC programme executive on climate change and water, speaking at the Uppsala summit.
After the meeting in Poznan, Poland this week, the next crucial step will be the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009. At that meeting the parties to the UNFCCC will meet for the last time on government level before the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement aimed at preventing climate change and global warming, expires in 2012.
Full text of the Uppsala Manifesto
Free high resolution photos (the signing of the manifesto and group pictures of the delegates)
