Loving Our Neighbors In A World Of Climate Change
These past two weeks, world leaders have been meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt for the COP-27 global climate negotiations. This year's theme is "Together for Implementation". This theme matters because countries committed in last year's climate negotiations to keeping global temperature rise to only 1.5 degrees celsius. Keeping global warming to only 1.5 degrees is crucial for the health of the planet and for people.
This year, we have already seen the impacts of a rapidly changing climate - from the devastating floods in Pakistan, to the heatwaves in Western Europe and North America, and the hurricanes that have pummeled the East Coast of the United States. These impacts are occurring even before global temperature rise has reached 1.5 degrees celsius.
Rapid climate change and climate change-induced disasters have also laid stark the injustices between wealthier and poorer countries. The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guiterres said this plainly:
"Pakistan was not responsible for this crisis. This was a product of climate change, this was caused by those polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. The G20, the biggest economies in the world produce 80% of the emissions. Pakistan, less than 1%."
Small island countries such as Barbados and the Maldives, civil society organizations, and youth climate activists have collectively pushed for the negotiations to include Loss and Damage in the agreement. Loss and Damage is the term for providing a mechanism for countries to contribute through financial and in-kind support for poorer countries that have been impacted the most from climate exacerbated disasters.
As Christians, we are called to care for God's Earth and to also love our neighbors. Our neighbors are those who live in the regions most vulnerable to climate change, including the Pacific Islands, Africa, and Asia, to name a few. As one of this year's delegates from the Christian Climate Observer Program says, "Loss and Damage is [not just a concept]. It is the real faces of people from my country suffering from drought and starvation."
There are many ways for wealthier countries to support countries most vulnerable to climate change. Countries can collectively provide funds for climate change adaptation, facilitating technology transfers, and providing funding for renewable energy and clean technology through the World Bank and other multilateral development banks.
In addition to what governments can do, Christians can love and support our neighbors suffering from the worst impacts of climate change in tangible and practical ways. We can pray for countries that are recovering from climate change-induced disasters and for churches in those countries. We can buy and consume less, eat less meat, and switch our transportation habits to driving a hybrid or electric vehicle.
We can contact our elected representatives in local and national governments to strengthen our own climate pollution reduction targets and action plans. Reducing climate pollution is important to stabilizing the atmosphere and slowing down the impacts of climate change.
We can also participate by voting. Climate solutions can be implemented by governments at the local city level, the state or province level, and at the national level, so it is important to learn about candidates' positions and plans to make an informed choice in voting. During the most recent local city elections where I live, I read voter guides to better understand the candidates' plans to improve green spaces and parks, improve options for bicycling, walking, and public transport, and their own level of knowledge around the city's climate action plan.
Action to care for the planet and to protect the climate requires actions from everyone. As Christians, we are called to love God, love our neighbors and to care for the Earth and as such, we can not only be involved in, but lead the way on climate action.
Learn:
1.Learn about the basics of climate change, as explained in 10 graphs: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/20/the-climate-crisis-explained-in-10-charts
2. Learn more about your country's performance on taking action on climate change: Climate Change Performance Index
3. Learn more with the United Methodist Church on Loss and Damage and what it means: https://um-insight.net/in-the-world/disasters-and-climate-change/loss-and-damage-a-necessary-and-moral-response/
Pray
4. Sign up to the Climate Intercessors prayer newsletter to pray for the countries and peoples most impacted by climate change: https://www.climateintercessors.org/
