Durban, South Africa, 5 December (ENInews) Christian young people are bringing their passion for change to a U.N. climate conference in Durban, South Africa, eager to learn how to spread the message that God's creation needs better care.
This is the text of the greeting to the ‘We Have Faith – Act Now for Climate Justice’ Rally, held at King’s Park Stadium, Durban, on 27 November 2011. At the end of the multi-faith Rally and Concert, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu handed over a petition calling on world leaders at COP-17 to commit their governments to a fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement.
By Jane Still, Communications & Fundraising Manager, Anglicord
The government and people of Australia have been issued a prophetic challenge by The Environment Working Group of the General Synod (the national parliament) of the Anglican Church of Australia, to take up their moral responsibility to reduce carbon emissions, and it says paying for the cost of carbon pollution will be a necessary part of that action.
The eyes of the world will be on South Africa from Sunday 27 November to Friday 9 December this year. Negotiators and political leaders from around the world will gather in Durban at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17). With provincial and diocesan programmes around the Communion, particularly in the southern hemisphere, increasingly having to integrate a response to the impacts of climate change within local mission, it is hoped that governments will make firm and urgent commitments to decrease national carbon emissions.
Government urged to advocate equity for poor countries
Operation Noah, the churches' climate change campaign, has welcomed the agreement reached at last week's climate summit to discuss long-term global climate strategy beyond 2012, and challenged the UK Government to declare the hand it will play.
Striving "to safeguard the integrity of creation" and urging all provinces to get involved, the Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN), meeting in Canberra, Australia, April 17-22, discussed the church's response to global warming and related issues such as rising sea levels, droughts, and increased storms and floods.
World Wide Anglican Green Force
Rising sea levels, droughts and climate changes were among the issues considered by delegates at the inaugural meeting of the Anglican Communion's Environmental Network in Canberra, Australia, last week.
