WCC News: WCC links climate and racial justice through Living Planet Monitor presentation in Berlin

The World Council of Churches (WCC) presented evidence at the International and Ecumenical Conference on Racial Justice in Berlin this week that communities of colour face the heaviest burden of environmental harm - and that climate justice cannot be achieved without racial justice. The Ven Dr Leslie Nathaniel, Archdeacon of Eastern Europe and Germany & Northern Europe received the LPM 2 from the WCC Moderator, Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm Photo: Anglican Church of Freiburg 11 December 2025 Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, WCC central committee moderator, introduced the second edition of the Living Planet Monitor at the conference. Edited by Dinesh Suna, WCC programme executive for Land, Water, and Food, the publication compiles environmental and justice data from across central, northern, and western Africa—showing where toxic waste, industrial pollution, and climate impacts hit hardest. "When racial justice and ecological justice are pursued together, they strengthen each other, creating pathways toward a more equitable and sustainable future for all," Suna told participants. The publication documents both data and "stories of hope" from faith communities responding to environmental crises. The WCC uses these findings to inform advocacy at COP30 and throughout the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice (2025-2034). This second edition focuses on central, northern, and western Africa, following last year's examination of southern and eastern Africa. An Asia-focused edition is planned for 2026. The data confirms what many communities already know: Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized groups live closest to toxic waste sites, polluting industries, and contaminated water. Indigenous lands face systematic targeting for resource extraction, nuclear testing, and waste disposal. From Flint's water crisis to climate-driven displacement in island nations and the Global South, the pattern holds—racial injustice and ecological destruction advance together. The Living Planet Monitor, Issue 2, is available at no cost here  Living Planet Monitor, Volume 1, Issue 1, Nov. 2024 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