Archbishop Winston Halapua has joined other Christian leaders in calling for governments to implement the promises they made at the Paris Climate Change talks.
Along with 5 Archbishops present at the recent Primates meeting, the letter has also been signed by more than 580 other Christian leaders, including Bishop Efraim Tendero of the World Evangelical Alliance; the human rights activist Dr Denis Mukwege; Pete Greig from the 24-7 prayer movement; US singer Nichole Nordeman; and Laura Vargas from the Inter-religious Council of Peru.
Political leaders from 197 nations will gather in Bonn, Germany, next month for the next phase of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23); and the Christian leaders are urging them to “keep the promises they made in the Paris Agreement, to restore the natural balance.”
It says: “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.”
They are calling on world leaders to
- 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.
“This is our generation’s challenge, a significant part of how we love our neighbours,” the letter says. “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.
Join Archbishop Winston, and add your name online to the open letter.
Read the full article at Anglican News