WCC NEWS: Multifaith advocacy for the climate: Not really much time left

The signs are on the wall. The last decade was the warmest on record. Of the 20 warmest years, 19 occurred since 2000. And evidence indicates that this is due to the rise of greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity. World’s scientists have warned that, at the current rate, the world could cross 1.5˚C hotter as soon as 2030. That’s less than a decade from now, well within the lifespan of most people alive today 2 September 2022, Karlsruhe, Germany: Activists call attention to climate change during a protest at the World Council of Churches' 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany. The assembly takes place August 31 to September 8 under the theme "Christ's Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity." Photo: Mike DuBose/WCC 04 September 2022 The story of the Pharaoh’s dreams in Genesis 41 showed that Joseph received the divine gift of divination to prepare the people to grapple with the impending crisis, said Rev. Dr Neddy Astudillo in the biblical reflection that opened the workshop on Climate Justice from a Multifaith, Post-Colonial and Grassroots Perspective at the World Council of Churches’ 11th Assembly. Astudillo, a Venezuelan eco-theologian and Presbyterian pastor (PCUSA) based in the US who coordinates GreenFaith’s Latinx and Latin American Organizing and Training, said that as in times of Joseph and the Pharaoh, God has given us the spiritual gifts which allow us to transform ourselves, our communities and society to protect the planet and create a loving and just world. GreenFaith, the interfaith environmental organization hosting the workshop in Karlsruhe, was founded in 1992 and is among the world's oldest religious-environmental groups. It works in the areas of education and training, local organizing, and campaigning and has played leadership roles in the world’s largest climate change mobilizations and the fossil fuel divestment movement. Meryne Warah (Kenya) and Martin Kopp (France) spoke about concerted efforts by GreenFaith to denounce French oil company, Total, investment decision for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Contrary to the company’s claims, more than 100,000 persons and dozens of sensitive ecosystems in Uganda and Tanzania stand to suffer the consequences of the company’s actions. GreenFaith was instrumental in organizing a visit by Christian delegations from Uganda and Tanzania to meet with Total top executives in Paris to express their concern that EACOP will bring climate chaos and biodiversity loss while already causing serious human rights violations. Jocabed Reina Solano, director of Indigenous Memory of the Kuna Dule people in Panama, shared how, in their culture, when a child is born, the placenta, the umbilical cord and the seed of a tree are jointly sown. When that child grows up, he/she knows that, in addition to belonging to the community, is also connected to the Earth and, in a particular way, to that tree. “The rituals of indigenous peoples are the source of our spirituality. Although there are different challenges for indigenous communities around the world, we are held together by the umbilical cord of life”, said Solano. The mobilization of people of faith and religion fosters change, as demonstrated in the struggles for civil rights in the USA and against apartheid in South Africa, said Rev. Fletcher Harper, an Episcopal priest and Executive Director at GreenFaith. When dealing with the climate crisis, it is worth reminding the Irish saying: “Is this a private fight, or can anyone join?”, said Rev. Harper. “We have found people from all over the world, from different faith communities, who have woken up and say that everybody must be involved in the fight to save our planet.” Livestream of the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany Photos of the WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany WCC 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland