WCC News: Training shows climate justice a moral imperative for churches

Exploring how churches can do more for climate justice, the World Council of Churches (WCC), in cooperation with the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh, organized a climate litigation training in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 11 April. A farmer walks along an eroded riverbank in Kunderpara, a village on an island in the Brahmaputra River in northern Bangladesh. Severe flooding in August 2017 eroded the bank of the river, washing away part of the rice farm above. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 14 April 2025 The one-day seminar was attended by participants from WCC member churches as well as representatives of nongovernmental organizations in Bangladesh. They gathered at the Climate Park of the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh, longtime and active partner of the WCC and ACT Alliance.  The training built the capacity of participants on avenues for legal action to address root causes of the climate emergency. WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, who is visiting churches and communities in Bangladesh from 10-14 April, spoke during the training.  “Amidst the poly-crises the world is experiencing now, the role of churches and other faith actors in terms of our contributions to climate justice is more important than ever,” he said. “Our moral voice is necessary for the urgently needed system changes.” Frederique Seidel, WCC senior programme lead for Children and Climate, noted that the people in Bangladesh are among those who have the least to do with the root causes of global warming.  “UNICEF has done a very important case study on Bangladesh, showing how 19 million children were affected by the climate-induced flooding in Bangladesh,” she said. “A high number of children became extremely vulnerable because they had lost their parents, and the report shows many became victims of exploitation and trafficking.” Churches can learn about laws to prevent further harm to children and ensure their right to life, urged Seidel. “And there are also many ways that you can take legal action – starting from very simple and with no risk involved,” she said. Compelling examples Jasper Blom, political economist and lead researcher at Friends of the Earth Netherlands, offered an example of climate cases related to big corporations.  "First of all, it's a climate justice issue for us,” he said. “We think the responsibility for preventing climate change has been put too much on individual citizens or just states.” In other words, he said, corporations are not taking enough responsibility. “We feel climate litigation is one of the ways to ensure corporations also share the burden, so that the broader shoulders bear the burden of preventing climate change,” Blom explained.  Rev. Jackeline Mutuma, from the Methodist Church in Kenya, reflected that the church is called to make sure that all people, everybody, receive the justice that they deserve. “Climate litigation emerges as a tangible means to challenge policies and practices that perpetuate environmental injustice, thereby aligning legal action with the church's mission to uphold justice,” she said. “Therefore, utilizing a legal framework to address the climate crisis is not only compatible with Christian values—it is a moral imperative for churches.” WCC member churches and partners are warmly encouraged to join the online training on the tools for climate litigation, on 15 April at 2 pm CET. Register for the online training on 15 April here. Churches and partners who would like to join this project are invited to send a note to churchesforchildren@wcc-coe.org.  Publication "Hope for Children Through Climate Justice: Legal Tools to Hold Financiers Accountable" Overview with highlights from the new resource (4-page flyer) Online Training on the legal tools for climate justice “Hope for Children” WCC’s new climate justice tools bring hope for children (WCC news story, 10 April 2025) Learn more about Churches’ Commitments to Children and Climate-Responsible Banking 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 general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland