In order to build on its work for the protection of climate refugees, the World Council of Churches (WCC) joins an innovative campaign “Postcards from the Frontlines” aiming to achieve urgently needed recognition and protection for climate refugees around the world.

According to reports millions of people were forced from their homes due to weather-related events in the year 2012 alone.

Initiated by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) in collaboration with ByPost, the “Postcards from the Frontlines” campaign allows people to send a free postcard from phone or desktop, which will arrive as a real physical postcard at the United Nations secretary-general's office in New York, calling for action on climate refugees. The project aims to reach 100,000 postcards by Human Rights Day, 10 December, when a public response will be sought from the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

The campaign was launched on 24 September.

Through the postcards campaign people are invited to take a photograph of themselves using the free ByPost iPhone app or website to send a real “petition” postcard to the UN Headquarters in New York asking for concrete measures protecting the climate refugees.

Protection of climate refugees will be the focus of a workshop organized by the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) and the Protestant German aid agency Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World, BfW) at the WCC’s upcoming assembly, to be held from 30 October to 8 November in Busan, Republic of Korea.

“We call on our churches, and all other partners working together with us for climate justice, to join the postcards campaign asking for visible actions towards the protection of climate refugees,” said Dr Guillermo Kerber, the WCC programme executive in the area of Care for Creation and Climate Justice.

“The WCC and its churches have on their main agenda to support the vulnerable communities facing the impact of climate change. Forced displacement because of climate change is a concern for churches, especially in regions such as the Pacific, South East Asia and Africa, as stated at two conferences organized by the WCC in collaboration with the PCC and BfW in 2010 and 2012,” added Kerber.

The report from these two conferences has been published under the title “Climate Refugees” and will be available in print at the WCC assembly.

Postcards from the Frontlines

Participate in the campaign – send a postcard

WCC’s work for climate justice and care for creation