Concerns on environmental issues have become the centre of debates in many forums around the globe. There are many organisations and individuals, including religious organisations, that have engaged in the mission of protecting the environment.
Participating in the COP26 in Glasgow resembled a reunion of sorts. After the pandemic cancelled meetings of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Working Group on Climate Change and led to the rescheduling COP26, it was wonderful to catch up with my ecumenical friends who are devoted to the work of climate justice.
The World Student Christian Federation, already with a history of calling for climate justice, continues to urge action and commitment from world leaders.
If you try hard and believe in the power of positive thinking, you may be able to take comfort that COP26 provided some hope. But if you remove the rose-colored spectacles, it becomes clear that we should abandon the sentiment of hope and commit to lives of faithful resistance.
After nearly two years of preparations and two weeks of physical meeting, COP26 is over. People from all over the world came together to a major in-person meeting on a global level.
A group of intern ministers from the Presbyterian Church of Trinidad and Tobago (PCTT)—including Cynara Dube-Sookoo, Bjorn Warde, and Robert Dinnoo—worked with PCTT synod moderator Rt. Rev. Joy E. Abdul-Mohan to produce a video about how young people and churches can lead the way toward climate justice.
H.E. Metropolitan Serafim Kykotis, a member of the World Council of Churches Working Group on Climate Change, participated in COP26. Following is a conversation about “ecological metanoia,” a concept about which the metropolitan has been praying and thinking.
El Comité ejecutivo del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias expresa su “decepción y consternación por el resultado inadecuado de la Conferencia sobre el Cambio Climático, COP 26, celebrada en Glasgow, Reino Unido.
The executive committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed in a public statement “disappointment and dismay at the inadequate outcome of the COP 26 Climate Change Conference” in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Durante la reunión del Comité Ejecutivo del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) que tuvo lugar el 12 de noviembre —de manera presencial por primera vez en dos años—, el órgano rector comenzó sus deliberaciones con la perspectiva de reimaginar el futuro, esbozando algunas de las tendencias positivas y oportunidades que ha traido consigo la pandemia de la COVID-19, cuyo impacto ha sido, por lo demás, tan doloroso. La reunión se ha celebrado de forma híbrida en el Instituto Ecuménico de Bossey y por videoconferencia.
El Rev. Kleber Machado es ministro de la Iglesia de Escocia en la parroquia St. Andrew’s West de Glasgow, ciudad donde tiene lugar la COP26. A continuación reflexiona sobre la problemática más amplia de la justicia climática y la manera en que aporta esperanza en el patio de su propia iglesia.
Global faith leaders, including World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, have signed onto a statement urging ambitious action to deliver climate justice for the most vulnerable people and communities.
As the World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee convened on 12 November—face-to-face for the first time in two years—the governing body began its deliberations with a sense of reimagining the future by tracing some positive trends and opportunities born out of the grief-filled COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting is taking place in a hybrid fashion at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute and on video conference.
Rev. Kleber Machado is a minister of the Church of Scotland at the St Andrew West Paris Church, in Glasgow, where COP26 is taking place. Below, he reflects on wider climate justice issues, as well as how he is bringing hope in his church’s own backyard.
As people of faith concerned about the climate crisis, there are two origin stories that may guide and concern us as we ponder how we ought to live in the world today. One is the Genesis story, which establishes our faith in the God of Creation, and our particular role in nature. Another, is the story that started years ago on the same soil and the same river where COP26 is taking place today.
In a message to the High-Level Ministerial Segment of the 26th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26), an interfaith liaison group urged a response to the climate emergency that balances science and spirituality.
During a discussion, “Tax the rich, save the planet,” on 8 November, speakers explored how a global tax and economic system can deliver equity and make reparations for the exploitation of people and planet.
A webinar, “Climate Justice, Food, and Faith,” on 9 November offered not only practical information on how climate change relates to food insecurity but also a call to change how we view our care for the earth and for hungry people.
Wandering and homecoming is the stuff and substance of life. Also the heart of the 23rd Psalm, beloved and old and yet ever new and beautifully enlivened in a surprising way: the the new neon installation by James Pfaff who wandered and returned.
An online photo exhibition with new daily additions is available from the World Council of Churches for media and member churches worldwide beginning 9 November.
