WCC news: Faith leaders position COP30 as "People's COP”

Faith leaders speaking at a pre-COP30 press conference called the upcoming summit in the Brazilian Amazon a unique opportunity to put Indigenous voices and grassroots communities at the heart of global climate negotiations. Running from 10-21 November in Belém, north Brazil, it has been called the "People's COP" because of its Amazon location and the prominent role expected for Indigenous communities. Valter Hugo Muniz/WCC 21 October 2025 Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee moderator, told journalists that WCC launched the "Ecumenical Decade for Climate Justice Action" at its central committee meeting in Johannesburg in June. The 356 churches across 120 countries with 600 million members will prioritise climate action over the next ten years. "We have very deliberately called it climate justice action decade because climate change, dealing with climate change, is a question of justice," Bedford-Strohm said. "We all know that those who have contributed the least to climate change are the first victims, and that is a justice question." Jocabed Solano, an Indigenous leader from the Guandule Nation in Panama and member of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, stressed how vital Indigenous peoples are to climate solutions. "There is no climate justice without justice for Indigenous peoples," Solano said. "Indigenous peoples in the Amazon - including those in initial contact, whom many people do not even know about - are fighting with their very lives to maintain the balance of the Earth." Archbishop Marinez Rosa dos Santos Bassotto of Belém described severe climate impacts affecting the Amazon. "For at least the past three years, we have been experiencing an extreme drought, with the region's rivers dropping by as much as 30 metres, which is terrible. Some communities become completely isolated, many without drinking water or food." Solano, who negotiates for Panama on just transition, demanded action: "Therefore, we demand firm commitments at COP30 for the transition to 100 percent renewable energy." She warned that "this also requires us to be vigilant and to recognise that there are often forms of 'green' and 'blue' colonialism." Bedford-Strohm explained the theological reasons driving church involvement: "We believe that every human being is created in the image of God equally. And we believe that it makes a difference if we believe and say that in our services that God is the creator of this earth. It means that each human being has the same right to enjoy the fruits of the earth." Leaders expect Indigenous voices will influence core negotiations. "Our hope is that these voices will not only be heard in the popular demonstrations, not only in the green and yellow zones, or in the side events around the COP - but that these voices will truly be at the centre of the discussions and negotiations," Archbishop Bassotto said. Care for creation and climate justice 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 356 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