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WCC to share key insights at World Social Forum

At the World Social Forum 2024, taking place 15-19 February in Nepal, the World Council of Churches (WCC) will have an active role in this platform for the convergence of a diverse range of participants, including social movements, laborers, farmers, civil society groups, marginalized communities, and those affected by the impacts of neoliberal capitalism and privatization. 

WCC Eco-School begins in Crete

Fifteen young people from 10 countries across Europe and North America are taking part of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School at the Orthodox Academy of Crete, Greece, 11-18 November, exploring water, food, and climate justice.

Applications invited for WCC Eco-School for Europe and North America region

The fifth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food, and Climate Justice, will be held 24-31 July in Crete, Greece. Convening in-person in the Orthodox Academy of Crete, Greece, the event is open to young people under 30 years of age from the Europe and  North America region only. 

WCC Eco School for North America postponed until 2023

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has postponed its Eco School in North America until 2023, when it will be held in Europe. To accommodate participants from North America, a special event will be conducted in the region. Details about the event and the venue will be announced soon.

Water and justice at the WCC 11th Assembly

“The global water crisis is not simply about dealing with scarcity, it’s about fighting inequality and discrimination, about addressing blatant mismanagement and often also corruption.” For Bishop Arnold Temple, chair of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network, this is why it is so important for churches to keep raising awareness and speaking up about water being a matter of justice and rights. "It's great to see that the importance of water and the churches' commitment to water justice are going to be reflected in the programme of the upcoming WCC 11th Assembly", Temple notes. 

Groundwater is “a political question”

In many regions, groundwater is being extracted faster than it can be replenished. Groundwater pollution from raw material extraction, industry, private households, and agriculture is also increasing. This year’s UN’s World Water Day focused on groundwater, urging to make “the invisible visible.” A new publication by Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World, Germany), a member of the WCC Ecumenical Water Network, takes up this call and demands the better protection and fairer use of this vital resource.  WCC news talked to co-author Dr Ingrid Jacobsen about the social and political dimension of groundwater.

WCC Eco-School 2022 postponed to November 2022

Applications are still open for the fifth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food and Climate Justice. The new dates are 20-26 November 2022.  Convening in-person at the Stony Point Center in New York, the event is open to young people under 30 years of age from the North America region only. 

Webinar explores how women navigate nexus of water, food and climate change

Held in conjunction with the 66th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, a World Council of Churches’ (WCC) webinar explored how women are navigating the water, food, and climate change nexus. Panellists and participants shared women-led and gender-just responses to the climate crisis as well as the role of churches and faith-based organisations.

Applications open for WCC Eco-School 2022 with focus on North America

Applications are open for the fifth edition of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Eco-School on Water, Food and Climate Justice, to be held 24 April-1 May 2022 in the North America region. Convening in-person at the Stony Point Center in New York, the event is open to young people under 30 years of age from the North America region only. 

Groundwater: a hidden treasure we need to protect, say EWN members

Groundwater resources are the invisible lifeline of our planet. They provide almost half of all drinking water worldwide, about 40% of water for irrigated agriculture and about one third of the water supply required for industry. Yet many people are unaware of the importance of groundwater. That is why this year’s World Water Day on 22 March focuses on the theme “Groundwater: making the invisible visible.” In this article, members of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network testify to the urgency of protecting our global groundwater.

Protecting Ethiopia’s church forests

In many parts of Ethiopia, the forests surrounding churches and monasteries are among the last remaining in the country. They are severely threatened as people cut trees to obtain firewood. The church fights for the preservation of the forests by making local communities more aware of the link between the forests and water availability and by helping them to find alternative livelihoods for themselves and their families.

Climate crisis fuels existing water injustice

2021 has shown how vulnerable and unprepared even wealthy, industrialized countries are in the face of the escalating climate crisis. Devastating flooding, unprecedented heat waves and out-of-control wildfires have hit parts of Europe and North America. Yet this is just a foretaste of catastrophes that have long since become a bitter reality in other parts of the world. They are almost always a matter of too much or too little water. Yet water problems are often the result of discrimination and political failure, especially in times of climate change.