A Call to Action towards COP30

As faith leaders and organisations from across Latin America and the Caribbean, we have come together to reflect on the current reality of the climate emergency.

Every day we face the irreversible consequences of climate change. Our territories, understood by us as sacred, are being destroyed. We witness the destruction of the Amazon, other ecosystems, and the people who live there, caused by large-scale agriculture, mining, and fossil fuel extraction. These activities, in the name of "progress," seek only the unlimited and concentrated accumulation of capital. Those who protect our lands - environmental and human rights defenders – are increasingly being persecuted.

We stand in solidarity with the people and communities most affected as we “mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). At the same time, we maintain a steadfast hope in a God who is renewing our minds and our world (Romans 8:19-21) as He urgently calls us all to action. 

COP30 in Belém is a pivotal moment to reaffirm our commitment in our fight for climate justice. It marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, a landmark commitment to limit global temperature rise. It coincides with the need for each country to submit updated and ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), showing their commitments to accelerate climate action.

The road to COP30 cannot fall into the traps of recent years: stalled progress on phasing out fossil fuels, last-minute deals, and broken promises on climate finance.

Governments must respond to the climate emergency and act with the urgency that is needed.

We therefore call on governments and the international community to show leadership in the following priority areas:

1. Deliver on climate finance promises. The commitments made at COP29 fell far short of the finance that developing countries need to tackle climate change. We urge governments to fully engage in the “Baku to Belem roadmap” and define how they will provide the $1.3tn climate finance needed by 2035. This should not increase the debt burden but should be through prioritising grants and new forms of public finance such as wealth taxes and polluter pays taxes.
2. Ensure the full implementation of the Loss and Damage Fund. This includes for both economic and non-economic impacts, consolidating it as the third pillar of climate finance and ensuring the delivery of grants this year. The Loss and Damage Fund should be operationalized immediately, with streamlined and priority access for affected communities.
3. Accelerate a just transition away from fossil fuel dependency. The lack of action to phase out fossil fuels endangers our common home, as well as the very survival of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. We call for commitments at COP30 for the transition to 100% renewable energy and the progressive elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, repurposing them towards sustainable development.
4. Support communities to adapt to climate change. Communities in Latin America and the Caribbean face devastating and recurrent climate impacts, demonstrating resilience and creativity in their adaptation. We call on governments to significantly increase funding in response to adaptation needs, including comprehensive healthcare and other needs identified by the most vulnerable communities. In addition, governments must submit National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), which should respond to community needs, including the protection of key ecosystems such as the Amazon and the coral reefs, the territorial integrity and rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the protection of environmental defenders.
5. Prioritise the voices of those most impacted by climate change. Affected communities – including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, children and youth, women and human rights defenders - need to participate in an equitable and meaningful way in climate decisions, so that their voices drive just and effective solutions. We call on national governments and the COP30 Presidency to create conditions that allow the participation and recognition of the most affected and excluded populations, fostering trust and solidarity.

We commit to accompanying you in this process, joining you in prayer and action to make these demands for climate justice a reality.

Brasilia, Brazil.
20 March 2025

• Bispa Primaz Marinez Bassotto, Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil
• Obispa Guadalupe Cortez, Sinodo Luterano Salvadoreno
• +Jenry Orlando Ruiz Mora, Obispo de Trujillo, Honduras Comisión Nacional Ecología Integral
• Jocabed R Solano Miselis, World Council of Churches/Memoria Indígena 
• Márcia Nogueira Amorim, Conferência Mundial Metodista e Associação Horizonte de Esperança 
• Dom Vicente de Paula Ferreira, Comissão Especial para Ecologia Integral e Mineração da Conferência Nacional dos Bispos do Brasil (CNBB)
• Dom Maurício José Araújo de Andrade, Diocese Anglicana de Brasília
• Rev. Wertson Brasil de Souza, Comunhão Mundial de Igrejas Reformadas/AIPRAL
• Romario Andres Dohmann, Fundación Protestante Hora de Obrar
• Rev. Dr. Mauro Batista de Souza, Igreja Evangélica de Confissão Luterana no Brasil
• Romi Marcia Bencke, Conselho Nacional de Igrejas Cristãs do Brasil – CONIC
• Igor Bastos, Movimento Laudato Si’
• Pastor Leonardo Schindler, Iglesia Evangelica del Rio de la Plata/Federación de Iglesias Evangelicas en Argentina
• Nelson García Lobo, Comisión de Acción Social Menonita (CASM) Honduras
• Valquíria Smith Lima, Cáritas Brasileira
• Guilherme Gastal de Castro Ramos, Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN) / Grupo de Trabalho de Justiça Ambiental da Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil
• Frei Rodrigo De Castro Amédée Péret, Franciscans International / Serviço Interfranciscano de Justiça, Paz e Ecologia
• Miriam Moreno, Tearfund Latam
• Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Espiúca dos Anjos Siqueira, Departamento de Advocacy, Direitos Humanos, Ambientais e Territoriais da Diocese Anglicana de Brasília
• Carine Josiéle Wendland , FLM -Foro de Justicia Climática de América Latina y el Caribe
• Paula Israel Evangelista Vida, Renovar Nosso Mundo (Igreja Batista da Redenção)
• Rev. Ramón Secundino Ramos Valdez, Parroquia Santa Rosa de Lima, Santiago; Grupo Sacerdotal Don Helder Cámara y Movimientos Populares de la República Dominicana
• Dorismeire Almeida de Vasconcelos,  Rede Eclesial Pan Amazônica (REPAM)