Loss and damage due to climate change is a reality, and it is also one of the most important items on the agenda of COP26, the UN Climate summit. In this blog, I would like to share the reality of climate-induced extreme events and loss and damage in Nepal’s vulnerable communities. I hope negotiators at the summit will read this because this is what the negotiations should be about.  

Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries suffering from severe climate effects. For Nepal’s marginalised people and communities, climate change is both a reality and a threat. Extreme weather events, including torrential rains, floods and landslides, are becoming more frequent and intense. Millions of people are already experiencing the climate emergency and need immediate assistance. Economic and non-economic loss and damage are evident in Nepal and are not only a climate justice issue, but an issue of survival.  

A new report: When the climate is a threat: loss and Damage in Nepal by the Danish member of ACT Alliance, DanChurchAid, includes case studies of three different municipalities in Nepal that have suffered from climate change over the past five years. Climate-related floods and landslides have taken away lives, homes and livestock. The total economic loss in the three municipalities has been very high at around $388,355, with an average loss per household of just over $4,000.  

The study shows how displacement is becoming a major problem. While most community members have returned to their homes, 9 per cent have moved permanently to other locations. Recovery poses a major challenge for both displaced and returning families as most of those affected, 82 per cent, have had to take out loans to either relocate or rebuild following the disaster.  

Local governments have been first to respond, but due to financial constraints, only provided immediate support. The support that affected households received was insufficient, with the average family’s financial losses ranging from $1,000 to $13,500. None of the villages received international support. The report also shows a lack of insurance coverage in the affected communities which further increases the impact and risk of climate hazards.  

The report further examines community knowledge of disaster prevention and the efficiency of early warning systems. Despite substantial investment in these systems, limited human resources, limited technological knowledge and other issues mean there have been significant barriers to communicating early warning signals in a timely manner.  

The findings reveal that vulnerable communities will continue to experience loss and damage due to a lack of adequate infrastructure, limited knowledge, and weak institutional mechanisms, as well as a lack of technical and financial assistance and support. Both economic and non-economic loss and damage is evident in Nepal and is a common concern. It is also an issue of climate justice.  

The good news is that Nepal has launched several policy initiatives, including the National Loss and Damage Framework. But Nepal and other vulnerable countries still need additional technical, financial and capacity-building assistance to address climate-induced loss and damage. Direct financial and technical support to local governments and organisations will also be essential for grassroots employment. 

I hope the negotiations at COP26 will present a clear picture on how to respond to loss and damage and help Nepal and other vulnerable countries receive enough support. The need is urgent.  

 Rajan Thapa is the Climate Action Advisor with DanChurchAid in Nepal. DanChurchAid is an ACT Alliance member.

UNEP has just launched its annual Adaptation Gap Report, which this year is called “The Gathering Storm”. ACT Alliance is keen to see this report, as adaptation is a top priority and many of our members are working hard to promote adaptation solutions in vulnerable communities around the world. These are our comments to the report.

“We must remember that global warming continues to be a reality, and when the temperature continues to increase, so too will the need for adaptation. Adaptation measures must therefore be prepared for the future. A sea wall which is too low will not help,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary of the ACT Alliance. 

“Adaptation is needed where people live and work, on the local level. We must look for nature based solutions, and ensure that the most vulnerable are reached,” Bueno de Faria continued. “Without strong support for adaptation, through funding and also through non-market solutions, including nature-based solutions, the impacts of climate change will be even worse for the most vulnerable people in the world, particularly for women and girls.”

Birgitte Qvist-Sørensen, Moderator of the ACT Alliance, said “We must remember that adaptation is a necessary measure for all of us. Climate change is real, and we must learn to live with its effects. The UNEP report shows that the need for adaptation goes far beyond the political agreements about climate finance. Right now developed countries deliver about 25 billion USD for adaptation. UNEP expects that there will be a need for 140 to 300 billion USD per year by 2030 to help developing countries to adapt. The gap is huge, particularly considering how difficult it has been for developed countries to reach the current 25 billion.”

“Even if we manage to hold global temperature rise to 1.5C, a target that feels less possible with every year of weak action on climate change, the need for adaptation will increase significantly in the coming years. as containing global warming even at that temperature will affect ecosystems, human health, and well-being. The world must plan for finance, and implement climate change adaption measures that respond to the needs of the most vulnerable people,” de Faria said.

Qvist-Sørensen concluded, “I hope all parties read this report. It is crucial that we all consider the need for adaptation. We call on developed countries to drastically scale up their support to adaptation. We must fill the gap!”

For questions, please contact: 
Mattias Söderberg, co-chair of the ACT Alliance climate change group. 
Mail: msd@dca.dk Phone: +45-29 70 06 09.

Five months after the latest escalation of the conflict in May 2021, representatives of three members of the ACT Palestine forum travelled to the Gaza strip in October 2021. The main purpose of their visit was to show solidarity with the ACT member organisations and people in the area. Their trip report not only highlights the large scale of destruction, but also the increasing hopelessness among the local population. The delegation was asked by people in the health sector to carry the message to international partners not to forget about the local organisations in the Gaza strip. 

Read the full report here: ACT Palestine Forum – A solidarity visit to Gaza

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The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. ~Psalm 24:1-2

All of Creation is hurting. Our climate is inarguably shifting. And people of faith are among those calling for urgent action.

This week, I am among a group of global leaders gathered for the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference. The 2020 gathering was cancelled due to COVID-19, and the two years since the last conference have seen one devastating disaster after another: from wildfires and severe drought to tornadoes, hurricanes, and typhoons, all made more complicated by the pandemic.

Leaders—political leaders as well as faith leaders—are at a critical point of engagement to protect the earth and build stronger communities. The pandemic has turned many of us inward in our spiritual journeys. We are searching for the meaning of life and how we live together as a global community. Leading voices of faith are critical in this moment to remind us of the Creation that we are called to love and protect. The water we drink, the air we breathe, the church camps we grew up in—these are all sacred and have profound meaning to us.

Faith leaders are among those addressing the gathering, sharing testimonies and calling for urgent action on behalf of the communities they represent. Rev. James Bhagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, shared a personal story about a cross that he wears around his neck. “Each of these shells were collected by my nieces and nephews, tied together with string, in the shape of a cross… This is the simple way in which the people of Kiribati make their jewelry: no diamonds, no gold, no silver. Just shells. And I wear this because they may not be able to do this for much longer. Because Kiribati is a poster child of sea level rise. This is the reality of my people, of the Pacific.” 

Rev. Bhagwan went on to say, “In places like Fiji, people are already being forced to relocate because of sea level rise. Our Pacific people have a deep spiritual relationship with the land and the sea. The practice of living is Shalom with both the land and sea. For years, we have been told that is not the way to live—that it is backward, it is ignorant.” But now, Bhagwan points out—this very way of living in “Shalom” with land and sea is what the world needs; it is this practice that might heal the earth.

The mission of Week of Compassion is to alleviate suffering, and it is becoming more and more apparent that a growing climate crisis causes significant suffering for God’s children around the world. That is why, along with our ecumenical and interfaith partners around the world, we are committed to supporting climate resilience programs. Where some of the world’s most vulnerable communities already struggle to survive under the burdens of a shifting environment, our combined efforts help provide hope and stability.

From Bosnia and Herzegovina to Puerto Rico, we help families to thrive through renewable technologies. From Honduras to Indonesia to Liberia and Sierra Leone, we support food security through sustainable agriculture. In these places, and in so many others, we work with partners to help empower farmers, families, and entire communities to thrive, despite mounting challenges to their livelihood and survival. Support for these programs goes a long way towards changing lives and creating a better future for all. But such interventions are not enough. The urgency of this moment, and the call for far-reaching systemic change, cannot be denied.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it,” the Psalmist proclaims. As global leaders and voices of faith continue to remind us, that is good news. In this moment, it is also a call to prayer, to care, and to action. We hold in prayer all those world leaders gathered in Glasgow for this timely and critical conversation on climate action, and we pray for all people of faith, around the world, who will work together in the season ahead to ensure the continued thriving of the earth.

With Hope and Gratitude,
Vy

Rev. Vy Nguyen is the Executive Director for Week of Compassion, the relief, development, and refugee ministry for the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. He lives in the Bay Area of Northern California with his wife and son.

Climate finance is one of the important topics of the COP26 agenda. At this summit parties will start to negotiate a new architecture and targets for climate finance. The new collective and quantified finance agreement should be applied by 2025. 

When parties start to talk about future climate finance, they should refer to past experience. For example, we know that developed countries failed by 2020 to deliver on the existing USD 100 billion a year target for climate finance. We know that they have favoured mitigation above adaptation. We also know that most of the funds are counted as both climate finance and official development aid. Some worrying trends such as an increase in loan financing, including for adaptation, are evident. 

As ACT Alliance Moderator, Birgitte Qvist-Sørensen, says: 

“Climate finance is needed to enable climate action. With neither support nor investments, vulnerable countries will not be able to promote the green transition, ensure the necessary adaptation or rise above climate-induced loss and damage.” 

November 3rd is “climate finance day” at COP26, when ACT Alliance launches the new report Post 2025 Climate Finance Architecture Through a Climate Justice Lens. The report assesses the climate finance which has been delivered until now and proposes a way forward for a new post-2025 finance decision. 

As General Secretary of ACT Alliance, Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, says: 

“Most developed countries use ordinary development aid when they offer climate finance to developing countries. An increased focus on climate change, may thus lead to a reduced focus on other development needs. Any future climate finance agreement must ensure that climate finance is new and additional to development aid and that agreed-upon development aid is not undermined when the focus on climate finance increases.” 

“It is evident that developed countries have not prioritised adaptation when they have allocated their climate finance. Any future target should therefore have a separate focus on adaptation finance.” 

“The majority of existing climate finance is delivered as loans, but poor and vulnerable countries need grants, especially for adaptation. It is clear that any future finance decision should have targets for grants.” 

“As acknowledged in the Paris agreement, people, communities and countries face climate-induced loss and damage. Efforts to help people to tackle these challenges are not covered by existing finance agreements, and loss and damage should be included in any future decision.” 

As ACT Alliance Moderator, Birgitte Qvist-Sørensen, says: 

“When parties are starting to negotiate about the future of climate finance, they should consider what has happened in the past. As shown in our report, there are many important lessons, and a new finance decision must ensure that support is delivered as promised.” 

“When we talk about climate finance, we often focus on the numbers. However, we should also remember that there are people behind the numbers, and that every dollar spent on climate finance will help us tackle the climate crisis.” 

For media enquiries please contact: 

Fiona Connelly, ACT Alliance – Climate Justice Communications Coordinator.
fiona.connelly@actalliance.org ; Phone: +44 7469311238 

Mattias Söderberg, ACT Alliance – Co-chair of the climate change group. 
msd@dca.dk ; Phone: +45 29700609 

Need some visuals for your story on finance at COP26?

Join ACT Alliance, Christian Aid and members of other faith-based organisations for an action on climate finance that will explain the issues from the perspective of communities in the Global South in a simple and direct way.

Two banners, including an NSF cheque from developed nations to lesser developed nations, and a visual representation (with chocolate coins) of the differences in the amounts of money going to Adaptation, Mitigation and Loss and Damage will illustrate the issues that many developing nations have with:

• the current climate finance situation,
• the need for increased ambition for new and additional funding for loss and damage through the Santiago network, and
• an increased share of existing climate finance for adaptation work.

When: Wednesday, November 3, 12:30pm.

Where: Hall D, in front of the restaurant corridor, at the white wall where there are some chairs

Who: (to be confirmed) Interviews can be made available for

• Julius Mbatia, Kenya. Climate Justice Programme Manager, ACT Alliance.
• Patriciah Roy Akulloh, Uganda. Climate Justice Group Co-chair
• Jennifer Larbie Omodara, UK Advocacy and Policy Lead, Christian Aid

Media contact:

Simon Chambers, Director of Communications, ACT Alliance
Mobile: +44 7423 277 440
Email: simon.chambers@actalliance.org

Solving the climate crisis requires large-scale investments, but the global markets are sluggish in responding to this task. Even though using known fossil fuel reserves and existing energy infrastructure will lead the world further into the climate crisis, globally more investment was directed to fossil fuels than renewables in 20203. Although investments in carbon neutral development have been accelerating, only a fraction of that investment is destined to the least developed countries where the impacts of climate change are felt the most4.  

The geography of this landscape is unjust. Much of the infrastructure that consumes the remaining carbon budget to stay below 2 degrees Celsius warming is located in rich countries. Moreover, much of the investment for climate-smart solutions takes place in rich and quickly-industrializing countries and very little market-driven funding is destined for the least developed countries.  

Finance a path to climate justice 

For these reasons, the financial commitment made by rich countries in the Paris Agreement to mobilize USD 100 billion to mitigation and adaptation efforts is more important than just its size. The finance commitment is a means to enact climate justice in practice; to guarantee the rights of the poor countries to develop and protect their citizens in the face of global change.   

At Glasgow’s COP26 a path should be created to agree on an increased funding target after 2025.  The meeting is also an excellent moment to reflect on whether the USD 100 billion commitment has served its purpose of sharing the burdens of solving the climate crisis in a just way. For this reason, Act Alliance commissioned a report called Post 2025 Climate Finance Architecture — through a climate justice lens. The report identifies failures in fulfilling the funding commitment and it provides many concrete recommendations on how the financial architecture could be improved.  

Commitment not funded 

The USD 100 billion commitment has not been funded, and the ways of channeling those funds are problematic. The bulk of the funding commitment is channeled as loans for mitigation projects to middle income countries.  Act Alliance argues that climate finances should adhere to the “leave no one behind” principle of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030. As well, countries should set ambitious targets for increased grant-based funding for least developed countries and those most vulnerable to climate change, such as small island states. Donor countries should follow the principle of having the polluter pay and identify ways to fund loss and damage caused by climate change.   

In the UNFCCC framework, the climate finance commitment should be ‘new and additional’ to official development aid.  Unfortunately for the recipients of climate finances, donor countries mix these financial flows as there is no binding criteria for new and additional funds. An emphasis on climate needs might direct funding away from other development priorities such as education or healthcare. This ambiguity is why Act Alliance recommends developing solid definitions on what kinds of funds and projects are considered eligible for reaching jointly agreed goals.  

Serious consequences 

Failing to deliver the promised financial commitment might result in serious consequences. For poor countries and their vulnerable communities, the agreed-upon support for climate action is not considered as help or aid It should be seen instead as compensation for the historic responsibility of rich countries due to their bloated share of historic emissions. The broken system of climate finances needs to be rebooted. Our future depends on finding fair financial solutions to our common threat.  

The world cannot afford to ignore the calls for climate justice. The climate finance system is broken and needs to be fixed. Luckily, as outlined in ACT Alliance’s report, there are concrete suggestions to do just that.   

Niko Humalisto is a docent of social geography and leading advocacy specialist at Felm in Finland. He co-chairs the climate advocacy group of Act Alliance. The trail of his thoughts on circular economy and climate policy can be found on Research Gate (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Niko-Humalisto-2). 

EMBARGOED until 7:30pm 2/1/11

Press release: Faith in Action for Climate Justice – event 2/11/21

People of faith gather in Glasgow to demand world leaders deliver climate justice at COP26.

On 2nd November, representatives of faith movements from around the world gathered to present their demands for climate justice at the start of COP26.

The event was held at 19:30 GMT at St George’s Tron Church, Buchanan Street, G1 2JX and streamed online.

More than 150,000 actions, including petition signatures and prayer boats, were gathered together alongside statements from religious leaders and youth. This event brought together multi-faith representatives to make collective demands of political leaders at COP26.

These demands include calling on governments to: 

• Put in place legislation and policies that will limit warming to 1.5C and achieve global net zero emissions;
• Deliver on existing climate finance commitments without delay and provide new and additional finance for people already experiencing the worst impacts of climate change;
• Shifting investment from fossil fuels to sustainable renewable energy;
• Reaffirm and respect obligations to protect and respect human rights, including in particular the rights of Indigenous peoples, women and local communities in climate action;
• Recognize human-induced climate change and biodiversity as part of one and the same crisis and implement solutions to climate change based on locally-led ecosystem preservation and restoration and protection of biodiversity;
• Listen to those on the front line of the crisis and make sure their voices are at the heart of climate talks and decision making.

Quotes

Young Christian Climate Network:

‘The climate crisis is both a symptom and a cause of global injustice, with the world’s poorest paying the heaviest price for the actions of the richest. YCCN is calling on the UK government to put people before bank balances and use its role as hosts of COP26 to push for urgent action on climate finance.’ – Jen Morris, YCCN

Christian Aid

“As Glasgow welcomes COP26, the decisions by world leaders will define the shape and sustainability of the dear green place we all share. We in the faith community stand together against the climate crisis, demanding ambitious action and praying for lasting change.” Rev. Sally Foster-Fulton, Head of Nations and Church Relations, Christian Aid

ACT Alliance

“In 2021 the world is faced with two global emergencies – COVID-19 and the climate crisis. Both must be addressed urgently and with justice.” Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, General Secretary, ACT Alliance.

The Lutheran World Federation

“We need bold action to ensure climate justice. As people of faith, we call on all governments to take decisive steps at COP26 to avert further climate catastrophes and human suffering.” Rev. Anne Burghardt, General Secretary of The Lutheran World Federation

Living Laudato Si’ Philippines

“Eight years after the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, more than a thousand people are still missing. Year after year thenceforth, the intensity of extreme weather conditions is increasing. COP26 is an opportunity to address losses and damages, both for humanity and ecosystems. Climate action is not only about common but differentiated responsibilities but a collective conscience and uncompromised moral imperative towards intergenerational justice, equity and common good.” – Rodne R. Galicha, Executive Director, Living Laudato Si’ Philippines

Laudato Si Movement

“COP26 is a ‘benchmark session to heed to the urgent, radical and conscious action in response to the ecological crisis we are living in. It is without doubt that the need for bold actions from global leadership is paramount if we are to meet the 1.5 degree as per the Paris Agreement.” – Lorna Gold, Board Member, Laudato Si Movement

Renew Our World

“People in 6 continents have signed the Renew Our World Reset21 petition – we are united by our faith, our love of justice and our care for creation. My people, the Guna of Panama, are being hit now by the rising seas and changing climate, and we call on the world’s leaders to find the money they promised, cut the emissions they promised, and do what we do and take care of the world God made.”  – Jocabed Solano, Founder, Indigenous Memory

Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund

“Faith groups from around the world have joined together in Glasgow to ask for immediate action to address the climate. We’re proud to add the voices of over 4,000 SCIAF supporters to this call.  The poorest communities in the world have been hit hardest by the climate emergency. We’re calling for communities to be given financial support to adapt and recover from climate change, for those on the frontline of the climate emergency to be listened to, and for urgent action from world leaders to keep us within 1.5 degrees of global warming.” – Dr Geraldine Hill, Advocacy Manager, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund

CAFOD

“Tens of thousands of Catholics have raised their voices alongside people from across faith communities to demand action at the COP. We hope and pray that the leaders in Glasgow listen to their calls, take the steps we need to keep temperature rises below the catastrophic 1.5C level and make sure the people hardest hit by the crisis are put at the heart of the talks.” Liam Finn, Campaigns Manager at Catholic aid agency CAFOD

Islamic Relief

“Islamic Relief is seeing the devastating impact that climate change is having on some of the poorest communities around the world. Floods, droughts and cyclones are destroying people’s lives. With 80 per cent of the world adhering to a faith, it is critical that faith communities come together and take a stand against climate change. As part of this, we are calling on the UK government to set up a specialised green fund for houses of worship of all faiths to support their transition to net zero emission by 2050.” Maria Zafar, Campaigns & Public Affairs Coordinator for Islamic Relief UK

GreenFaith

“As women of faith born in the global south, we’ve seen multinational corporations take advantage of our natural resources, bribe our governments, steal land from indigenous and small farmers.  We know first-hand the human rights violations that accompany coal, oil, gas, and agribusiness expansion. We watch wealthy countries refusing to make good on the climate funding they promise. We see our own governments failing to enforce laws that should protect their own people. In the face of such hardship, faith sustains our communities. We will not stop until we see a world governed by compassion, love and justice.”

Rev. Neddy Astudillo, Nana Firman, Meryne Warah – GreenFaith

Anglican Communion Environmental Network

“Let justice roll down like rivers”  At COP26 we call on the global community to prioritise the call for Climate justice. We call for a just transition from fossil fuels which not only  contribute to climate change but also to environmental degradation, pollution of scarce water supplies and the abuse of the rights of rural and indigenous people. At COP26 the window of  opportunity is narrowing to avert a bleak and barren future for the generations to come.”

Rev Dr Rachel Mash, Anglican Communion Environmental Network

Social media:

• Event #: #FaithActionCOP26

Photos

Photos from the event will be available here shortly after: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lutheranworld/albums/72157720100856227 please credit LWF

For two days leaders from all over the world have shared their views on the current climate crisis, during the World Leaders Summit at COP26. Everyone who entered the stage acknowledged that there is a crisis and that it must be handled. However, leaders had different views on the way forward.

The Co-chair of the ACT Alliance climate change group, Mattias Söderberg, co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Justice Reference Group, said,“I am worried and frustrated. My expectations may have been too high, but the Leaders Summit did not deliver the energy or the inspiration we needed to make sure that COP26 can bring a successful result. There were so many strong words, and well formulated messages, but so few concrete commitments and promises.”

Developing countries made a joint and strong call for climate finance. Many commented on the urgent need for support, to address climate related disasters, and to enable the green transition, and many shared their disappointment about the fact that developed countries have not delivered on their promise to mobilise 100 bn USD annually from 2020.

The Co-chair of the ACT Alliance climate change group, Elena Cedillo, Co-chair of the ACT Climate Justice Reference Group, reflected,“It is clear that developed countries must listen to the call for more climate finance. Greater ambition is needed to make progress in the climate agenda and provide climate finances to support vulnerable countries. And we need climate action now.”

“I understand the concern developing countries have,” she continued: “With the lack of mitigation action, the risk for climate induced loss and damage increases. At the same time there is still no agreement about loss and damage finance.”

It was clear that developed countries are aware of the demands from developing countries. A number of leaders presented their plans to scale up climate finance, and to increase the focus on adaptation.

Söderberg said,“We welcome all the climate finance pledges. Every dollar will make a difference, and is valued. We should remember that poor and vulnerable communities are in an urgent need for support.”

“However,” he noted, “When we consider the pledges, we must be aware that the nature of the pledge will differ. The US pledge will for example depend on a decision in the congress, and many pledges may be materialised as loans, which will have to be repaid.”

Unfortunately, the vast majority of the leaders were men, and neither gender equality, nor women and girls’ rights, were themes which leaders addressed.

Patriciah Roy Akullo, Co-chair of the ACT Climate Justice Reference Group, stated;“There is no climate justice without gender justice. I hope the fact that most leaders were men, won’t mean that gender specific issues will be lost on the COP26 agenda. ACT Alliance, will continue to push for transformative climate solutions that promote gender equality.”

“The fact that there were so few women speaking today reflects that gender equality is still a distant reality. We must ensure an intersectional gender lens is present in every single climate policy and every action linked to the Paris Agreement, at global, regional, national and local level, ” she concluded.

The UN climate conference COP26 began this weekend in Glasgow, Scotland.  This COP is being held in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic and as the need for urgent action to address climate change is getting increasingly desperate.  All around the world, people, communities, churches, and civil society are raising their voices calling for ambition, for action, for an end to weak commitments.

At previous COPs, many of those voices would be heard in the halls of the COP itself, with a vigorous mix of attendees from around the world.  But this year access has been severely limited.

COVID-19 restrictions, equitable access to vaccines, and changing requirements left many from the Global South sitting at home, unable to even reach Scotland for the conference.  The cost has left others behind as well.

The Guardian posted a story on the weekend saying that this COP would be the whitest and most privileged ever.

And this is bad news for climate justice. 

Because we need to have everyone in the room to be part of the conversation if we want to make meaningful changes that will protect and support the most vulnerable.

Women.  Youth.  Indigenous people.  People from vulnerable communities.  They all need to be in the room, at the table, and part of the conversation.

And yet social media is full of questions about how to follow events online, about how to get tickets to rooms for those who are in Glasgow.  The hashtag #MissingVoicesCOP26 is capturing the situation.

And, if we are truly committed to transformative and inclusive climate action, that must change.  COP26 cannot be a success without ambition, and that ambition will not be strong without the voices of all these individuals and groups represented in the debates. 

But these voices are absent in 2021.

For example, Bidyanqth Bhurtel, an ACT Alliance delegate who unfortunately was not able to make his way to Glasgow from Nepal states that: “For a person who looked to travel to the UK for the first time from a country like ours in itself is quite a hassle even in normal times. I regularly checked the procedures, contacted the visa service providers here and got to conclusion that I am simply not confident to travel to Scotland, mainly because Nepal was on the red list.  There was no time or energy for me to prepare for all the details in order to meet all requirements.”

James Bhagwan, from the Pacific Conference of Churches, contrasts the situation at COP26 with the Pacific practice of talanoa, which COPs have adopted as a dialogue method since 2017. “In our Pacific context, when we gather for important decisions, we sit together on the mat, to talanoa, to discuss from the heart, for everyone to speak. The meeting does not begin until the last person who needs to be there arrives and is seated on the mat. This year there are many empty spaces on our mat. The meeting begins without them. You cannot have real talanoa if everyone, governments and civil society etc are not all sitting on the mat, together. We who are here from the Pacific bring the voices of those who could not come. More than ever We must be given the space, the microphone and the time to speak our truths, to share our stories. And we must be heard. The decisions made at COP26 must take into account what we are telling the world. ”

Jamilet Azucena Ñontol Infante, from SEPEC, Lutheran Church, Peru, was fortunate to be able to come to COP, and describes her experience, “It was hard for me to come to COP26.  I live in Peru with my family, and I do a lot to help them.  I did not have a passport, I had never been on a plane.  My family was so proud of me for getting to do these things!  But because I am a young person, I was not eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine until just before COP and I could only get one dose so far.  So I had to quarantine for 10 days when I got to the UK.  This means that I am away from my family for a long time.  I am lucky that they can spare me from the work at home for many weeks to come to COP- most other families are not so lucky.”

We call on the UNFCCC Secretariat and UK COP26 Presidency to put an end to the ticketing system in the COP venue and to put in place inclusive, participatory and transparent methods of participation online for those who were left at home.

There is time to make this COP a success, to be a big step towards strong climate justice, but it must happen now, as the debates begin, and not wait until it is too late for these vital voices to be present in the room.