TEARFUND MEDIA RELEASE
Archbishops across the globe, speaking on behalf of the 85 million-member Anglican Communion, are urging world leaders to keep their Paris Agreement promises, ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany.
The five Archbishops, united across 8,000 miles, branded climate change ‘the challenge of our generation.’
The five join dozens of Christian leaders from around the world who signed a letter organised by the Renew Our World campaign, a global movement of Christians tackling climate change, poverty and injustice, ahead of the next UN climate talks.
“As Christians across the globe we are calling for action on climate change,” the letter says.
The United Nations COP23 global climate talks will take place in Bonn, Germany, this November with representatives of most of the world’s governments discussing how they will meet the aims of the Paris Agreement.
The letter says: “We urge each nation’s leaders to keep the promises they made in the Paris Agreement, to restore the natural balance.”
It calls for leaders to ensure global warming is limited to safe levels of 1.5 degrees. It also asks for more investment in clean off-grid energy that will reach those in poverty who can’t access national electricity sources.
The letter says: “This is our generation’s challenge, a significant part of how we love our neighbours.
“We’re committing to respond as Christians by living more sustainably, praying, and raising our voices; we’re asking every member of the church - the world’s largest network - to join in, alongside many others, and every national leader to lead the way.”
The letter is signed by Archbishop of Cape Town and head of the Anglican church in Southern Africa, Thabo Makgoba, and the Archbishop of Polynesia, Dr Winston Halapua, based in Fiji who are official hosts of the talks.
It is backed by Tearfund, an international aid and development agency, as part of the Renew Our World campaign.
Tearfund’s Director of Advocacy, Ruth Valerio, said: “There is a growing demand for stronger action to tackle climate change.
“Christians across the world are joining our campaign to urge political leaders to agree ambitious targets and outline substantial plans for how they will cut their emissions and carbon use.
“Every day at Tearfund we see the effects climate change is having on the poorest people in the world, dragging many back into the clutches of poverty.
“I want to encourage people here in the UK and across the world to join the campaign at www.renewourworld.net or www.tearfund.org/COP23.”
Ends
Notes to editor
- For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Tearfund’s media team: Rehema Figueiredo on 020 3906 3131 / 07962 242421 / [email protected] Out of hours, please contact: 07710 573749
- The five Archbishops signing on behalf of the Anglican Communion are
- Archbishop Winston Halapua (Polynesia)
- Archbishop Philip Freier (Australia)
- Archbishop Albert Chama (Central Africa)
- Archbishop Thabo Makgoba (Cape Town)
- Archbishop Francisco Silva (Brazil)
- Tearfund is a Christian relief and development agency and a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee www.tearfund.org
- Renew Our World is a global movement of Christians praying, living and campaigning to make the world fair and sustainable, so that everyone, everywhere can enjoy fullness of life.
- There are national campaigns in Australia, Brazil, India, Nigeria, Peru, UK, USA and Zambia.
- The full text of the letter is below and full list of signatories is available online at www.renewourworld.net
- Set targets for the world to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to limit global warming to the safe level of 1.5 degrees.
- Invest in 100% clean energy, particularly using local grids so it reaches those in poverty beyond the reach of national electricity grids.
- Support more sustainable, low emission agriculture, to stop communities going hungry, and help them cope better with more floods and droughts caused by climate change.
- Publish national country plans in 2020 showing how each nation will move to zero emissions
Please follow up at the COP24 climate talks in November 2018, in Poland.
Renew Our World open letter to world leaders
As Christians across the globe we are calling for action on climate change. The changing climate is causing great damage to people and planet right now, and we are particularly concerned about hunger and poverty hitting the most vulnerable communities, who did least to cause it.
We urge each nation’s leaders to keep the promises they made in the Paris Agreement, to restore the natural balance.
Please use the COP23 global climate talks in Bonn, Germany this November, for each country to make significant progress to:
This is our generation’s challenge, a significant part of how we love our neighbours. We’re committing to respond as Christians by living more sustainably, praying, and raising our voices; we’re asking every member of the church - the world’s largest network - to join in, alongside many others, and every national leader to lead the way.
