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Faith leaders call for urgent action at COP26

Time is running out. As the COP26 negotiations reach a critical moment, members of the global faith community, led by our sisters and brothers from the Global South, call for urgent and ambitious action to deliver justice for the most vulnerable people and communities. 

Ecumenical movement
12 November 2021
COP26
Care for creation and climate justice



Where the current negotiation texts are failing:

 

  • The current texts remain worryingly unbalanced. While there is progress on mitigation, it is shocking that there is limited reference to action needed to address increasing climate impacts.  
  • Simply referencing Loss and Damage (L&D) in the draft decision text without identifying any concrete action is offensive and immoral. The current text not only fails to deliver a separate mechanism to deliver action on Loss and Damage, it also does not provide any realistic path to new finance.
  • The texts on finance fail to provide confidence that the overdue pledge of $100 billion a year in support for poorer countries will be delivered. The commitment on adaptation, as part of that finance pledge, falls significantly short. The current text does not address the fact that most public finance comes in loans, which are adding to the burden of debt for climate-vulnerable countries, nor the challenges on access.

 

The action we now need:

 

World leaders must now step up and deliver a clear, actionable text that strengthens previous agreements and puts those living on the frontline of the climate crisis at its heart.

 

We call on world leaders at COP26 to preserve all of God’s Creation by:

 

  1. Recognising the urgency of this crisis, including language in the text that encourages all countries, but especially major emitters, to come forward annually at each COP with new ambition announcements that exceed their current NDC targets. 
  2. Calling for all Parties to address L&D through mobilising a separate and additional funding stream separate to finance for mitigation and adaptation; making L&D a permanent COP agenda item; and ensuring appropriate capacity and finance to support the full operationalization of the Santiago Network by COP27. 
  3. Richer governments fulfilling their promises and delivering the $100 billion promised for 2020 and every year up to 2025. This must be a 50/50 split between mitigation and adaptation, must be in the form of grants and not loans, and address access issues so the finance reaches those who need it most.

 

Signatories

 

  • Fr Ioan Sauca, Acting General Secretary, The World Council of Churches
  • Rev. Anne Burghardt, General Secretary, Lutheran World Federation
  • Bishop Thomas Schirrmacher, Secretery General, World Evangelical Alliance
  • Shahin Ashraf, Head of Global Advocacy, Islamic Relief Worldwide
  • Fidon Mwombeki, General Secretary, All Africa Council of Churches
  • Susanna Mattingly, Acting General Secretary Friends World Committee for Consultation
  • Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary, ACT Alliance
  • Junghee Min, Secretary-general, Interreligious Climate and Ecology Network
  • Valeriane Bernard, Brahma Kumari World Spiritual University UN representative
  • Jack Palmer-White, Anglican Communion’s Representative to the UN
  • Aytzim: Ecological Judaism
  • Sanat Kumar Barua, General Secretary, Atisha Dipankar Peace Trust Bangladesh
  • Sustainable Action for Nature (SAN)
  • Kenneth Nana Amoateng, Abibinsroma Foundation, Ghana
  • Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop Canada
  • Revd James Shri Bhagwan, General Secretary Pacific Conference of Churches
  • Council of Anglican Provinces Africa
  • Metropolitan Serafim Kykotis, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa
  • Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
  • Linda Nicholls, Archbishop of Canada
  • Jim, Lord Wallace of Tankerness, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
  • Quakers in Britain
  • Jude Levermore, Head of Mission, The Methodist Church in Britain
  • Fred Milligan, Presbyterians for Earth Care
  • Joy Kennedy, Canadian Interfaith Fast for the Climate
  • Christopher Harper, Bishop of Saskatoon, Canada
  • Adam Halkett, Bishop Diocese of Saskatchewan, Canada
  • John Arnold, Bishop of Salford
  • Bishop Stephen Wright, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham
  • Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich
  • Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading
  • Revd Dr Matthew Cobb
  • Cannon Giles Goddard, Co-Founder Faith for the Climate
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