WCC News: WCC launches “Ten Commandments of Climate-Responsible Banking,” encouraging faith communities to divest from fossil fuels

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has released a new resource, Ten Commandments of Climate-Responsible Banking, calling on individuals, churches, and faith-based organizations to align their financial choices with climate justice and the wellbeing of future generations.  People of faith joined together in an interfaith invocation before the March to End Fossil Fuel in New York City on September 17, 2023. Photo: Simon Chambers/ACT 05 February 2026 The guide stresses that money entrusted to banks is often invested in industries driving the climate crisis and urges believers to use their economic influence to support a transition away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable alternatives.  “At the heart of the resource is the conviction that responsible financial decision-making is a powerful tool for protecting life and ensuring intergenerational justice,” says Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace. “Continued investment in fossil fuel expansion threatens children and future generations, as fossil fuels account for around 90% of carbon emissions driving the climate emergency.” Putting together these commandments, added Mtata, will help churches relate to the issues in ways familiar to their religious language. By encouraging people to examine how their savings, pensions, and insurance funds are invested, the resource frames climate-responsible banking as an ethical and practical way to safeguard creation and human dignity. Linking financial stewardship with moral responsibility, the initiative aims to inspire practical, faith-driven action to protect the planet and ensure a just and sustainable future for generations to come. The resource sets out ten concrete actions for individuals and communities seeking to reduce their financial contribution to environmental harm. These include researching how much one’s bank invests in fossil fuels and urging financial institutions to end such investments. The guide also recommends spreading awareness, exploring legal avenues to challenge banks that support fossil fuel expansion, and moving money to greener banks or values-based investment funds.  Additional actions include checking whether pension and insurance providers invest in fossil fuels and shifting to climate-responsible alternatives, steps the WCC describes as among the most impactful personal climate measures. “It is a moral duty of faith communities to protect God’s creation and act in solidarity with vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the climate emergency,” says Frederique Seidel, WCC senior programme lead for Children and Climate. “Churches have both spiritual and societal influence, enabling them to advocate for transparency, accountability, and ethical finance while responding to scientific warnings and the appeals of young people for climate solutions.” Ten Commandments of Climate-Responsible Banking Learn more about the Churches' Commitments to Children 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