The President of France Francois Hollande today praised the efforts of campaigners and faith leaders who personally delivered to him a collection of petitions containing over 1.8 million signatures calling for climate justice.

François Hollande received the international petitions at a special reception held at the Presidential Palace in Paris. They were presented by a delegation that included the Philippines’ leading climate activist Yeb Saño, Bishop of Salisbury (UK) the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam, Auxiliary Bishop of Brasília the Most Rev Leonardo Steiner and Dr Ghaleb Bencheikh, President of Religions for Peace – France,

The 20 guests at the event represented the four faith-based networks who led the petition campaign – ACT Alliance, OurVoices, Religions for Peace and the Global Catholic Climate Movement – as well as other organisations that helped to gather the 1,833,973 signatures worldwide.

At the ceremony, François Hollande thanked the group, saying he was pleased to receive them “just a few hours before the end of the climate conference”. “We must protect the planet… Through the petitions, through the walks and pilgrimages, you have committed to defend life,” he said.

The President then spoke of the importance of bringing together religious leaders of all faiths to protect the world’s “common heritage”. He said: “It is necessary that all citizens engage and mobilise, like you have done. 

“This is the least we should hope for… Your example has paved the way, through all the walks and pilgrimages, together with these petitions. I hope they will have as much influence as possible while we’re still negotiating the agreement.”

Mr Hollande reminded the inter-faith group that that the primary role of the conference negotiators was to “deal with the future of the planet.” He told them: “It is a responsibility that we can’t walk away from… Your message, your petitions, must be heard, and this voice you’re bringing, must be listened to.”

Climate pilgrims from across the world were represented by Yeb Saño, leader of the People’s Pilgrimage and an ambassador for OurVoices. He told the President: “As a way to express faith communities’ deep sense of urgency regarding the climate crisis, we embarked on pilgrimages from all over the world … spreading hope for the future of humanity and hope for COP21, carrying the message of climate justice and our solidarity as one human family. 

“Altogether we journeyed the distance of close to 300,000 kilometres, including a group that I personally joined from the Vatican to Paris. We also cycled over 7,000km from Mozambique to Kenya, pushing the climate justice flag high and collecting thousands of signatures on the way… As pilgrims we walked and cycled together out of sense of justice, love, faith and hope that we can build a better future together. We are honoured to be walking with you on this journey.”

On behalf of ACT Alliance, the Rt Rev Nicholas Holtam explained why the groups had united to call for a fair and ambitious deal. He remarked: “People of all faiths urge all partiers to agree on a Paris deal applicable to all. Following the acts of terrorism in this city we want the world to act together, in care of our common home.

“For it to be ambitious, the agreement must include a long-term goal drastically cutting the world’s carbon footprint and making the transition to clean energy. The island states in particular need a limit of 1.5 Celsius. It must also have a tool to review and increase countries’ contributions, to review and increase ambitions as gaps arise.

“When they go home, governments must actually start to deliver a low-carbon future. On this, Human Rights Day, a fair deal must provide robust transparency rules, make a firm commitment to deliver $100bn climate finance to the poor, with the anchoring of the Warsaw International Mechanism on loss and damage in the Paris agreement.”

Representing the Global Catholic Climate Movement the Most Rev Leonardo Steiner, Secretary General of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil, voiced his solidarity in the wake of the Paris attacks and highlighted the success of the petition campaign. “As faith representatives we are very happy to be here to bring to you our firm petition for climate justice,” he said.

“Through the campaigns of the organisations, we collected more than 1.8 signatures of believers around the world. We are extremely concerned by the common crisis, but we know that everything is not lost… thank you very much for listening to our plea for climate justice.”

Dr Ghaleb Bencheikh, President of Religions for Peace – France, spoke about the need to work for an end to conflict, in order to “build a future with a sound environment for mankind”. He said: “Religious tradition brings hope within misery. Now we are facing a climate challenge, we are acting for peace and for the future of mankind.”

He then told the President: “We admire you for what you are doing because, under your auspices, we hope that this negotiation will bring about a future for coming generations.”

Also present at the Paris ceremony were representatives from the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, We Have Faith, the Lutheran World Federation, and the ‘Bhumi Project’ at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, as well as climate pilgrims from Britain, Scandinavia and Germany.

The petitions were originally presented to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres and the French President’s Special Envoy for the Protection of the Planet, Nicolas Hulot, on November 28 in Saint-Denis, northern Paris. Delivering the opening remarks today, Mr Hulot told the delegation: “The President did not hesitate at all to receive you, as you bring the fruits of your pilgrimages”.

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Notes to Editors:

High-res images are available from www.oikoumene.org/cop21photos. (Credit: Sean Hawkey/WCC)
For more information please contact Tomilola Ajayi: Tajayi@christian-aid.org

About the four networks who organised the petitions:

Religions for Peace, est. 1970, is the world’s largest multi-religious coalition that works to advance peace.

ACT Alliance is a coalition of 137 churches and affiliated organisations: it runs the ACT Now For Climate Justice campaign.

OurVoices is run under the auspices of The Conservation Foundation in the UK and GreenFaith in the USA.

Global Catholic Climate Movement represents thousands of Catholics responding to the Papal encyclical.

PRESS RELEASE

ACT Alliance said today that while it was happy to note that the text of the UNFCCC climate negotiations in Paris has managed to progress to the Ministers’ stage of the process,  the text is still weak and contains many of the crucial unresolved issues.

Mattias Söderberg, head of the ACT Alliance delegation at the COP21 in Paris, observed: “There are still big boulders on the road to an ideal Paris agreement and Ministers have an important task in front of them, to clear this road. This is the time for bold leadership and increased ambition by the Ministers and all countries, and not a time to be timid and hide behind differentiation or other parties.”

ACT Alliance noted its particular concern for five key areas, where it said progress must be achieved before an agreement can be adopted.

Söderberg said: “We see five boulders on the road. Firstly, countries must agree on how to share both burdens and opportunities. The old division between developed and developing countries is no longer applicable, and we need a fair and equitable differentiation of the future engagement. Secondly, we already know that the ambition of the Paris agreement will be too low, and there is need for a strong ratcheting up mechanism, including early review to increase ambition. Thirdly, we need global goals, guiding governments and investors, to a low carbon and resilient transformation of future development. Fourthly, parties need to agree on climate finance, to ensure that there are adequate means of implementation to support developing countries in their efforts to engage in both mitigation and resilience. And finally, the Paris agreement should not leave anyone behind. It must acknowledge the situations where adaptation is no longer possible, and Loss and Damage must thus be a central element of the text.”

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Notes to Editors:

1. ACT Alliance is a coalition of 137 churches and faith-based organisations working together in over 100 countries to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalised people regardless of their religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality in keeping with the highest international codes and standards.
2. For more information contact Mattias Söderberg on +45 29700609 and +33-(0) 755364556 email:msd@dca.dk or Thomas Hirsch on  +4917171 5217719 or email: t.hirsch@climate-development-advice.de

PRESS RELEASE

International humanitarian and development network ACT Alliance welcomed the decision to label Thursday 3 December as “Future Generations Day” at the UN climate talks, stating that decisions in Paris will be of a huge importance for children and youth for generations to come.

“Negotiations here in Paris refer to 2050,” said Signe Cecilie Mathiassen, a youth delegate from the ACT Alliance. “However, how many of the delegates will actually see the results themselves in 2050? They should deliver an agreement they can be proud to hand over to their children and grandchildren.”

While highlighting the need to consider future generations, the negotiations to reach an agreement are continuing, with some progress being made in talks about loss and damage.

“On a day where we are asked to consider youth and future generations, I am happy to note that there is some progress in the negotiations, particularly on the issue of Loss and Damage,” said Mattias Söderberg, head of the ACT Alliance delegation at the Paris talks. “Developed and developing countries have very different views on the need to address situations where it is no longer possible to adapt to the effects of climate change. This is unfortunate as this represents the exact worst-case scenario for the poorest and most vulnerable people. With no possibility to adapt, they are forced to migrate, or even to become refugees.”

“We are happy to note how parties now start to look for common ground and that developed countries, including the US, start to acknowledge the need to address loss and damage,” he continued. “The COP21 agreement must answer to the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable people, and we cannot leave Paris with an agreement where loss and damage is not a solid part of the text.”

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For more information contact Thomas Hirsch on +4917171 5217719 email: t.hirsch@climate-development-advice.de

Over 20 faith leaders, with youth, political and civil society representatives sat down for a unique lunch at COP21 at a table with knives and forks but no food, in a public demonstration of their hunger for climate justice. The stunt was part of the Fast for the Climate initiatives on December 1st in Paris.

Yeb Saño, former Philippines’ chief climate negotiator, the Most Rev. Dr Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town, and Imam Ibrahim Saidy of Norway were among the ‘diners’ taking part in the Fast For The Climate at the UN climate summit in Paris.

The event was a chance for the campaigners to tell gathered journalists and COP delegates why they had chosen to abstain from food: to show solidarity with communities worst affected by global warming and make a compelling call for climate justice.

Other faith leaders at the empty lunch table included Archbishop Antje Jackelén, Primate of the Church of Sweden, a member of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Bishop of Salisbury the Rt. Rev Nick Holtam, and the Rev. Dr Martin Junge, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).

Together with 10,000 people worldwide, they were part of the global initiative, which takes place on the first of every month. Besides the demonstration, the Fast for the Climate day at COP21 also included an official side event at the climate conference and the celebration of the breaking of the fasting.

Commenting on the inter-faith initiative, Junge stressed the spiritual aspect of fasting. “Since time immemorial, we have fasted in order to get space in our minds and hearts for renewal. So when I fast for the climate, I’m fasting first to get that mental space, that very strong focus, on vulnerable people suffering the most from climate change“, said the head executive of LWF.

“Climate change is an issue of inter-generational justice. That’s why I am fasting for the climate with a particular focus on the youth, who are already taking – and will take – the brunt of what will happen if we remain inactive on this issue”, added Junge.

For Archbishop 
Dr Antje Jackelén fasting is always a powerful reminder of the interdependence among people and with the planet. “Fasting for the climate is an expression of the global commitment in the worldwide church”, she said. “For all of our churches involved in the initiative, this has to do with leadership, values, lifestyle and justice”, added the Swedish church leader.

ACT Alliance general secretary Dr John Nduna fasted in solidarity with those who don’t have food on the table due to climate change. “It’s our responsibility, as an international community, to ensure that climate change is addressed and to reverse the problems that communities are facing, for the sake of those who have nothing to eat, whose children go to bed hungry”, he said.

Later the same day, Fast for the Climate enthusiasts gathered in a small church downtown Paris for the breaking of 24-hour fast and feast to celebrate unity and the solutions for a better future. Organizers estimate that about 10,000 people worldwide were fasting for climate action.

Addressing the participants of the celebration, Yeb Saño, who inspired the Fast for the Climate campaign, emphasized that the initiative is also a mechanism of pressure upon negotiators gathered at COP21. “We want to tell the world leaders here in Paris, that, please, don’t disappoint the world. The whole world is watching”, he said.

World leaders gave a unanimous thumbs up to signal a positive start of the UN Climate talks on on Monday in Paris.  Several leaders expressed commitment and faith in a multilateral process to combat the adverse impacts of climate change.

In a slight change to the climate talks format, world leaders spoke first to launch the negotiations, with 11 governments today pledging nearly US$250m towards support for vulnerable communities to adapt to climate change. International humanitarian and development organisation ACT Alliance said that the move signaled hope for an ambitious agreement that would secure the planet’s future.

Speaking from the ground at the UNFCCC COP21 in Paris, the alliance said that the contributions to the Least Developed Countries Fund showed a new commitment to supporting poor and vulnerable communities and an acknowledgment that action is now needed.

”We welcome these climate finance contributions and we remind the negotiators that there is need to come up with a financial mechanism in the new agreement which shall ensure sustainability and predictability of finance support for resilience of those already suffering the adverse impacts of climate change,” Global Climate Change Ambassador, Archbishop Most Reverend Dr Thabo Makgoba said.

The commitments by several countries to reduce emissions, with some clearly setting the peak years, is critical. It is important to get such commitments, and we want our negotiators to ensure that they come up with an agreement that will help the world decarbonize by the middle of the century. We need to embrace a goal and work towards achieveing it,” said Mattias Soderberg, ACT Alliance Co-Chair of the Advisory Group on Climate Advocacy.

”It is important that all countries take part in climate action,” stated Mattias Söderberg, who is also head of the ACT Alliance delegation attending the talks. “The world is no longer developed and developing. Paris is an opportunity for all to take part in climate action, and those who have capacity to support others, should be encouraged to do so.”

”By no means should any country be left behind,” reiterated Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, stressing that all countries have a role to play from today if the fight against the adverse impacts of climate change is to be won, in accordance with their capabilities and responsibility.

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Contact details for Thomas Hirsch on +4917171 5217719 email: t.hirsch@climate-development-advice.de

PRESS RELEASE

A total of 1,780,528 million people worldwide have put their names to a collection of faith-based petitions urging political leaders at the COP21 climate summit to take decisive action to curb global warming and deliver a strong, fair deal that helps poor countries adapt to their changing climate.

The petitions were presented to UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres on November 28 at the ‘Faith in Climate Justice’ (‘Les Religions Pour le Climat’) event at Salle de la Légion d’Honneur in Saint-Denis.

The hand-in was witnessed by close to 400 people, including faith leaders, COP21 delegates and climate campaigners from around the world – including individuals from countries such as Germany, the UK, Philippines, Italy and Scandinavia who have walked hundreds of kilometres in a ‘pilgrimage to Paris’.

Several key individuals spoke at the event: from the Philippines, former COP negotiator Yeb Sano; from Brazil, Cardinal Claudio Hummes; from South Africa, Archbishop of Cape Town the Rt Rev Thabo Makgoba; from the US, the Rev Kyoichi Sugino of Religions for Peace International; from Kenya, Mithika Mwenda, Coordinator of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance; and from Bangladesh, Lotifa Begum of Islamic Relief Worldwide.

‘Faith in Climate Justice’ was organized by four international faith-based networks working together for a common cause: ACT Now for Climate Justice (part of ACT Alliance), OurVoices, Religions for Peace and the Global Catholic Climate Movement.

OneVoices climate ambassador Yeb Sano, who has walked 1,500km from Rome to Paris as leader of the People’s Pilgrimage, said: “The pilgrimages represent, in a political way, that the time for talking is long over. Irrespective of what our leaders produce from Paris, across the globe we are working as communities and cities, as faith groups and organisations, and as pilgrims, walking together out of love, faith and hope that we can build a better future together.”

Archbishop Thabo, global climate ambassador for ACT Alliance, said: “People of faith urge all parties to constructively engage and agree on a Paris deal applicable to all. Climate justice is a spiritual and moral issue. To call it ambitious, it must include the long-term goal of climate resilient decarbonisation by mid-century and a periodic review and ratchet up mechanism to increase ambition dynamically. To call it fair, it must provide robust transparency rules, a firm commitment to deliver the $100bn climate finance to the poor, and the anchoring of the Warsaw International Mechanism on loss and damage in the Paris agreement.”

On behalf of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, Archbishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo (Brazil) and former Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, said: “2015 has been a very special year for the Catholic Church and its response to the climate crisis, crystallized in the Pope’s Laudato Si’ encyclical, the Bishops’ ‘Appeal to COP21’, and the grassroots mobilization of the Global Catholic Climate Movement this weekend, which brought hundreds of thousands of petition signatures to Paris and will join the Global Climate March in all continents. I pray for political leaders to ‘hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ and respond to the climate justice demand from all faiths.”

Secretary General for Religions for Peace International, Dr William F Vendley, said: “Meeting the challenge of climate change will help transform us into who we are called to be:  one human family living in community with the earth and the Divine.”

The 1,780,528 people who signed the petitions include individuals in both the global north and the global south. They were mobilized by, among others: the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (in partnership with Oxfam Africa), the Church of England, Tearfund, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, National Religious Partnership for the Environment, and Interfaith Power and Light – together with the four organizing networks previously mentioned.

As well as live music and visual presentations, the audience at the ‘Faith in Climate Justice’ event heard speeches from the Bishop of Saint Denis, Pascal Delannoy; the President of French Conference of Faiths in France, François Clavairoly; and the President of Plaine Commune, Patrick Braouzec.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. For more information contact Mattias Söderberg, Head of the ACT Alliance delegation attending the Paris negotiations, on +45 29700609 or via Twitter at Mattias_S

2. About the organisations behind the petition:

Act Now for Climate Justice is a campaign led by ACT Alliance, a coalition of 137 churches and affiliated organisations working together in over 100 countries to create positive and sustainable change in the lives of poor and marginalized people.

The Global Catholic Climate Movement is a community of thousands of Catholics responding to the Pope’s call to action in the Papal encyclical. It represents lay people, priests, religious, bishops and a global network of partners working together on the climate change crisis.

OurVoices is run under the auspices of The Conservation Foundation in the UK and GreenFaith in the USA. It has a vision to ensure world leaders act on the voices of millions who believe in protecting vulnerable people and our planet from the harmful effects of man-made climate change.

As the world’s largest multi-religious coalition, Religions for Peace was founded in 1970 and has a vision of a world in which religious communities cooperate effectively for peace, by taking concrete common action.

PRESS RELEASE

International humanitarian and development faith based networks have urged governments preparing for next week’s COP21 United Nations  climate summit in Paris to do their outmost to reach a fair, binding, and ambitious agreement as vulnerable people continue their daily struggle to adapt to the increasing adverse effects of climate change.

ACT Alliance, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have called for governments to ensure the climate agreement enables the scaling up of ambition and details concrete action in the coming years.

“Climate change is not something that will happen in the future, it is happening today, and at this very moment people are facing its effects,” said  Mattias Söderberg, Head of the ACT Alliance delegation attending the Paris negotiations. “ACT Alliance members are working with communities across the world dealing with adverse climate related issues. In Central America, for example, ongoing drought has significantly reduced harvests pushing hundreds of thousands of families into food insecurity. In Asia increasing weather related disasters have left communities struggling to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. We expect the Paris agreement to be a solid stepping stone to help and encourage governments to step up ambition in the coming years,” he continued. “We also hope this agreement will inspire and encourage private companies to choose green and sustainable investments. If we end up with an agreement that stipulates low ambition, this will be a disaster, both for people now and for future generations. ”

The three organisations are all bringing delegations to the COP21 in Paris to follow the negotiations and raise the voices of the many communities around the world impacted by climate change.

LWF General Secretary Rev Dr Martin Junge said: “I am delighted with the strong ecumenical presence at COP21. The challenge ahead of the human family is about change and conversion into new lifestyles responding to other values and goals in our lives – and faith has a role in that. Climate change poses huge challenges to justice in our world; towards those most vulnerable, and towards youth and children and generations to come. We come to Paris with a commitment to those most vulnerable.”

Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, said: “The leaders of the world now have an historic possibility to make commitments and agreements that we know can change the future life on this planet, for better or for worse. This is their unique privilege and their historic accountability to all life. This generation represented in COP 21 know more about the effects of what we do to our planet than any generation before us. We can either – with open eyes –  prepare for crises and catastrophes for us and our children, or we can prepare for climate justice to the world. We hope and pray for the strength and courage to do what is required at this moment.”

In their call to governments to open the doors towards climate justice, the organisations highlighted different ways in which ambitious agreement could be achieved, such as a long term vision for decarbonisation with robust rules for transparency of action and provision for review and ratcheting up every five years. They also urged that the agreement provides climate finance for those already suffering the diverse impacts of climate change.

“The UN climate talks has for many years stressed that global temperature rise must remain well below 2 degrees, and it is now time to operationalize this target,” said Archbishop  Most Reverend Dr Thabo Makgoba,  The ACT Alliance  Global Climate Ambassador. “We need an agreement that will enable  renewable energy uptake and sustainable development and resilience.  People need help to adapt, and when that is not possible – when people face loss and damage to the extent that no further adaptation is possible, there must be assistance to help them to move on.”

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For more information contact Mattias Söderberg, Head of the ACT Alliance delegation attending the Paris negotiations, on +45 29700609 or via Twitter at Mattias_S

“Following the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut, we at ACT Alliance express our shock and send our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the people who have lost their lives and those who have been injured in these attacks. ACT Alliance believes in a world of justice, peace and human dignity for all. Attacks of this nature, across the world, are a threat to the basic human value of love”

John Nduna, General Secretary, ACT Alliance

PRESS RELEASE

A new report launched today by ACT Alliance in cooperation with Bread for the World and Germanwatch stresses the need for governments meeting in Paris in December to address loss and damage that occurs as a result of climate change.

The report highlights that a central challenge the world faces is to offer solidarity and coordinated help to those affected by loss and damage. It states that to meet this challenge, it is important to promote climate risk analysis and climate management.

It also states that new approaches such as the G7 Climate Risk Insurance Initiative must be implemented in a way that reaches and involves the poorest, and promotes human rights, with dignified necessary resettlement and international protection for migrants who leave their home because of climate change.

‘We need to keep our global temperature well below two degrees Celsius, or risk more cases of loss and damage,” said John Nduna, ACT Alliance General Secretary. “Any temperature rise of more than two degrees will have more catastrophic impacts on climate change, including the sinking of many islands and making many areas not fit for human habitation.”

ACT Alliance has followed the UN climate negotiation process for many years and has taken lessons from ACT members working on the ground to help communities adapt and build resilience, to influence the alliance’s policy development and engagement with governments at national and international level.

‘We continue to experience increasing incidences where adaptation is becoming impossible,” said ACT Alliance Climate Advisory Co-Chair Mattias Söderberg. “ACT Alliance members continue to experience situations where their efforts to adapt to impacts of climate change are perennially challenged. We have witnessed devastating climate related disasters which have resulted in loss of lives and displacement of the people in Vanuatu, in the Philippines due to Typhoon Haiyan, and in the Sahel region in Africa where desertification is increasing at an alarming rate.’’

As the progress to come up with a new climate regime culminates between now and mid-December, Söderberg said the alliance hopes that loss and damage will be part of the agreement to be adopted on the at the December UN climate meeting (UNFCCC) in Paris.

“In regard to loss and damage, the Paris Agreement should recognise increasing climate risks and related losses as another key challenge in view of achieving the ultimate goal of the Convention,’’ said Söderberg.