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The Right Livelihood Award was established in Sweden in 1980 to honor and support courageous people solving global problems. It has become widely known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize” and now has 190 laureates from 74 countries.
In 2015, Right Livelihood established an office in Geneva to connect Laureates from around the world with the United Nations.
“Right Livelihood has many areas that mutually overlap with WCC’s priority of addressing climate-related issues for positive social change,” said Prof. Dr Isabel Apawo Phiri, WCC deputy general secretary. “Forming collaborative partnerships has the potential to create a high impact in making a sustainable difference and solving global problems.”
Phiri added that the WCC will be representing the ecumenical movement with its sister organizations before, during, and after COP27 in Egypt. “We are working with all people of goodwill to give this crisis the attention it deserves, both in word and deed.”
We must all amplify our efforts—and demand the necessary actions from each other, Phiri added.
“We are running out of time, and we must act together to prevent the planet from becoming uninhabitable,” said Phiri. “Christ’s love calls us to deep solidarity and a quest for justice for those who have contributed to this emergency the least, yet suffer the most.”
2018 Right Livelihood Laureate Tony Rinaudo also took part in the discussions. Rinaudo was awarded for his ground-breaking method, known as “farmer-managed natural regeneration” to stop desertification and deforestation, which he developed while serving as a missionary in Niger.
“When you work with nature, miracles are possible,” Rinaudo said. “At the time of creation there was delight and great rejoicing in heaven (Proverbs 8: 30-31). The morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy (Job 38:&). God rejoiced in the whole world and delighted in mankind. When God sees the wanton destruction of creation today, I wonder what he feels? I certainly don’t hear any angels singing for joy! Conversely, when I go back into the villages where people are restoring creation I witness singing, dancing, clapping – in other words, great joy and delight. Could it be that when we restore God’s broken creation, we have a foretaste of heaven here on earth?”
Right Livelihood was eager to see Rinaudo’s method being taken up and applied throughout the world, including through faith-based organisations, said Ole von Uexkull, Right Livelihood’s executive director. “I believe that everyone has to play their part in fighting climate change,” von Uexkull said. “Faith-based organisations are well-placed to promote climate action throughout their vast networks, often working on the ground with vulnerable populations. I hope that Rinaudo’s method will be widely used to regreen dry lands and improve the well-being of people around the world.”
