Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action

Join the Movement: Ecological Metanoia for Climate Justice

The climate emergency calls us to profound transformation—ecological metanoia—as we move together toward God's vision of justice and healing for all creation. Churches worldwide are mobilizing for the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025-2034), answering the prophetic call to care for our common home and stand in solidarity with those who suffer most from climate injustice.

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" (Psalm 24:1). As people of faith, we are called to be stewards of God's creation, walking alongside frontline communities, Indigenous peoples, and youth while working urgently for systemic transformation. This is our kairos moment to bear prophetic witness, act with courage, and move together in hope toward the restoration of all creation.

Moving Together in Ecological Metanoia for Transformation

Our Call to Transformation

The climate emergency is not merely an environmental concern—it is a spiritual crisis and gospel moment rooted in our faith. This is a kairos moment—a decisive time when the world must choose between life and death (Deuteronomy 30:19). The victims of climate change are the new face of the poor, the widow, and the stranger whom God especially loves and protects. Their cries for justice echo through Scripture, calling us to ecological metanoia and prophetic witness.

Biblical Foundation for Action

"Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to tend and keep it" (Genesis 2:15). From the beginning, we have been entrusted with creation's care. "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it" (Psalm 24:1).The Bible teaches us to "act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8), calling us to right relationship with God, neighbor, and earth.

This spiritual pilgrimage of repentance (metanoia), transformation, and hope calls churches to turn away from systems of ecological sin and injustice. When creation groans (Romans 8:22), the church must respond not in resignation, but as labour pains, believing in the birth of a new world.

The Urgency of Our Moment

Scientific evidence confirms what frontline communities have long experienced: we are dangerously close to irreversible tipping points. The most vulnerable—Indigenous peoples, frontline communities, youth, and the Global South—bear the worst impacts despite contributing least to emissions. These communities must provide leadership in this decade.

"Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). Our love for Christ compels us to move from complicity to prophetic uprising, knowing that delayed action means increased suffering for God's beloved children.

The Ecumenical Decade Vision (2025-2034)

The Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action represents an unprecedented commitment by the global church—a bold and prayerful response to the climate emergency. Built on four decades of WCC climate engagement, this decade calls churches to move beyond individual actions to systemic transformation through six pathways to climate justice.

Six Pathways Implementation Approach:

• Transform Theology and Worship: Reframe theology to reflect care for creation as central to Christian faith through eco-theologies and Season of Creation
• Promote Holistic Analysis: Help churches understand how climate connects with gender, race, economics, and colonialism
• Equip Faith Communities: Provide practical Climate Justice Toolkits, train "climate chaplains," and offer training programs
• Mobilize Collective Action: Build momentum through Global Climate Justice Fasts, climate pilgrimages, and interfaith campaigns
• Advocate for Systemic Change: Campaign for Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, support climate litigation, and push for ecocide recognition
• Invest in Grassroots Solutions: Fund renewable energy projects, support Indigenous-led protection, and create solidarity funds

"For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now." (Romans 8:22)

The Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025 - 2035) challenges churches worldwide to confront two inseparable emergencies: climate breakdown and biodiversity collapse. In 2026, churches will wrestle with these realities not as distant environmental concerns, but as urgent spiritual and moral tests.

Theological foundations

The intertwined crises of climate breakdown and mass extinction threaten God's creation. They hit hardest where justice is already scarce: among impoverished communities, Indigenous peoples, island nations, subsistence farmers, and the species disappearing around them. Deforestation, land grabs, ocean warming, and freshwater depletion stem from economic systems built on extraction and inequality.

God declared all creation "very good" (Genesis 1:31). Scripture insists that every species matters - not just for human use, but for God's own delight (Psalm 104:24 - 25; Job 38 - 41). Creation is not merely a victim of crisis but a community that praises God and participates in redemption (Romans 8:19 - 23). When biodiversity erodes, so does humanity's ability to perceive and live in harmony with God's wisdom.

Rather than "stewardship" language that positions humans above nature, this vision embraces mutual partnership - humans as participants within, not masters over, God's earth (Genesis 9:8 - 17; Psalm 24:1). As climate disasters impose unjust burdens on those least responsible, scripture affirms again and again God's concern for the vulnerable (Deuteronomy 10:17 - 18), demanding that churches stand in solidarity and resist systems perpetuating harm.

Key focus areas

Climate collapse, species extinction, inequality, and displacement form one interlocking crisis. In 2026, churches will concentrate on Indigenous wisdom as essential guidance - learning from peoples whose traditions embody reciprocity and reverence; ecological reparations through climate finance, fossil fuel divestment, and loss-and-damage support for frontline communities; nature-based solutions rooted in community rights, not corporate greenwashing; and systemic change that confronts unjust economies through prayer, advocacy, and direct action.

Strategic pathways

The World Council of Churches (WCC) will pursue four paths. New liturgies, hymns, and Bible studies will reconnect faith communities with creation's groaning and hope. Churches will engage global environmental negotiations at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and UN Convention to Combating Desertification (UNCCD), pushing for stronger targets and structural change starting with high-consuming and high polluting nations. Grassroots projects will build resilience and support just transitions for workers and communities. Theological schools will integrate climate and biodiversity justice into curricula, empowering youth as prophetic leaders.

2026 Activities

Regional consultations will gather bishops, lay leaders, and educators from every continent to share theological reflections and action plans. The first Global Climate Fast during Lent will anchor the year in penitence and solidarity. Churches will mark the UN International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May and participate fully in the Season of Creation from 1 September to 4 October. Delegations will attend major conferences: CBD COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia,  UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, and CCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

What 2026 will deliver

A global theological statement on climate and biodiversity justice. Regional frameworks tailored to local contexts. Worship resources, educational tools, and advocacy materials for congregations. Faith-based submissions to UN processes. A network of  regional ambassadors sustaining the decade's work.

The 2026 thematic year urges churches to become a "living witness" (James 2:26), weaving climate and biodiversity justice into worship, theology, advocacy, and daily life. By listening to creation's groaning, recognizing our place within the natural world, and standing with those most affected, churches embody hope - renewing our relationships with the earth, one another, and God as we move toward a just and life-giving future for all creation.

Climate action resources:

Prayer resources:

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