COP26 is becoming a death sentence for millions of people

Did you see any oil and gas executives standing in the well-documented, absurdly long lines to get into COP26 this past week?

Or the CEO of BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, or any of the other major financiers who are bankrolling the climate’s destruction?

We didn’t either.

When the wealthy and powerful go to COP, they walk in the VIP door, polish up their climate change talking points and then sit back and enjoy the show.

Meanwhile, those suffering from climate change’s worst impacts stand in line for hours and can’t even get access to the meetings that decide their futures. "Morally wrong" is a massive understatement.

Join the 9 November call with our COP26 team of women faith leaders from the Global South.

After a week of COP26, despite incremental successes (on paper, anyway), tangible progress is conspicuously absent.

• Governments are still refusing to commit to end new fossil fuel projects. The Australian government, a flamboyant climate laggard, boorishly hosted a fossil fuel executive at its COP pavilion.

• Financial institutions are pledging to increase funding for renewable energy, but have refused to commit to stopping finance for oil, gas, and deforestation projects. GuideOne, a US-based insurance firm that has made its money for years by insuring religious facilities, has actually started insuring coal companies - as well as congregations. Great.

• In 2009, the world’s wealthiest nations pledged to, starting in 2020, commit $100 billion each year to help developing countries transition to renewable energy and build climate resilience. To date, these wealthy countries have not kept their word - despite spending many orders of magnitude more on COVID bailouts for fossil fuel companies.

Rev., this is a mockery of the progress these climate talks are supposed to accomplish.

Some solid reporting by the BBC has shown how governments including Japan, Norway, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Switzerland, the US, and others have pressured the UN to weaken language in recent reports that have called for action on climate change, or have tried to make it sound as if unproven technologies can save the day.

Moving beyond delusion is a central part of every religious journey. We've got a lot of work to do.

COP26 is turning into a potential death sentence for millions of people, but we know where we look for hope: courageous grassroots leaders from around the world. That’s why we’re proud that three members of our team, all of them women of faith from the global South, are representing GreenFaith in Glasgow.

On Tuesday, 9 November, at 9 November 2021 at 1PM Glasgow / 8AM New York / 10AM Rio de Janeiro / 4PM Nairobi / 8PM Jakarta, they will be sharing their stories from COP - and will invite us all to raise our voices in a call for real compassion, love, and justice.

Please join us.

In incensed solidarity and grateful hope,

Rev. Fletcher Harper