Fwd: Southern African faith leaders speak out on climate change
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Southern African faith leaders speak out on climate change
In the climate negotiations, South Africa must stand again with Africa – not with the big polluters
Statement issued by representatives of religious organisations from across Southern Africa, including four secretaries general of national councils of churches, gathered in Lusaka, Zambia, from 5-6 May 2011 to discuss the response of faith communities to climate change and our response to the UN climate change negotiation in Durban, COP17, at the Regional Climate Change Meeting for Faith-based Organisations in Southern Africa
Africa is a continent of the faithful. God has entrusted us with a rich, living planet. Protecting the environment is demanded of us by our faith.
It is clear that Africans are already profoundly and directly affected by climate change. We faith leaders of Southern Africa wish to remind South Africa that it is part of Africa, and that we stood with South Africa during the dark years of apartheid. We now call on South Africa to stand again with its neighbours rather than continuing with a growth path that will help make all our countries victims of a climate change disaster.
Faith leadership and climate change
We, the people of the world, have lost our moral compass, and reduce all economic decisions to maximising profit and consumption, and so as faith communities we must renew our commitment to compassion for other living beings and the principle of justice.
We note that climate change is a systemic crisis of an unsustainable economic models, and without substantial changes to that system, without establishing an alternative, sustainable economic model, we have little chance of averting the worst effects of climate change.
Ultimately, it is the human desire to live lives filled with love and peace that drives all our other desires. Therefore, let us restore justice, love, and love for peace, to the heart of our climate negotiations.
South Africa must show true leadership for sustainability
As faith leaders from southern Africa, we believe that at this “African COP” to be held in Durban in November the countries of Africa must give a lead and set an example by seeking climate justice, reducing carbon emissions and avoiding further emissions increases.
As host country, South Africa should set an example to the world by committing to drastic and radical reductions, without waiting for global climate funding or commitments by other countries. We believe that we in Africa and specifically South Africa as host country must take a moral stand and challenge the world to “do the right thing”, to break the logjam and bring about a meaningful and legally binding agreement.
For South Africa, true leadership on climate change and sustainability must mean abandoning nuclear energy and its continued use of coal, its insistence on claiming further carbon space, and its refusal to change unless it is paid to do so by the international community. It must turn away from supply and pricing models that privilege multinational corporations, must improve on its current paltry ambition of at most 20% renewable energy by 2030, and commit resources into developing renewable energy and promoting energy efficiency that will create new employment and new opportunities for all in Southern Africa.
We commit ourselves to action:
We will set a good example in our personal lives by reducing all forms of over-consumption.
We will lead our faith communities and wider communities to understand the threat of climate change and the need to build alternative economies and societies based on deeper values.
We will build relationships with global faith communities in pursuit of our common goals and objectives.
We acknowledge that climate change has disproportionately affected women, and that it worsens existing inequalities – therefore, addressing these inequalities is ever more urgent.
We will support and encourage the engagement of women and youth in climate change issues – their energy and inspiration are vital to the strength of our movement.
We commit ourselves to finding ways of supporting our African negotiators who are currently few in number, too often replaced and usually terribly under-resourced.
We will support the struggles of people affected by regional large infrastructure and mining projects.
We call on world leaders to:
- Commit to the principle of inter-generational equity and the rights of our children.
- Commit to understanding and establishing the rights of Mother Earth as outlined in the Cochabamba declaration.
- To abandon GDP as an indicator of economic wellbeing in favour of indicators that include human wellbeing, equality and the external environmental costs of human economies.
- To set final targets for phasing out the use of all fossil fuels, and deep interim reductions in carbon emissions that support the target of no more than one degree of global warming.
- To ensure that there is sufficient climate finance for adaptation in Africa, additional to existing development aid.
- To channel sufficient and predictable climate financing from the historic polluting nations in recognition of their ecological debt to enable Africa to leapfrog into an age of clean energy technology.
- To close the mitigation gap between developed countries’ pledges and what science and equity require. Developed countries must re-commit to an ambitious, legally binding second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, and adopt assigned amounts of emissions that are consistent with the full measure of their historical responsibility.
- To ensure that climate finance is governed in an inclusive and equitable manner under the United Nations.
Background
Climate change is the defining issue of our time. In pursuit of endless growth and material wealth, our contemporary world has lost sight of the essential values and principles which are essential for the wellbeing of humanity, society and the living planet upon which we totally depend. These values include love for our fellow human beings and the magnificent world we share, compassion, justice and equity.
Southern Africa may experience some of the world’s most extreme effects of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts in its Fourth Assessment Report that by 2020, between 75 and 250 million Africans are likely to be experiencing increased water stress caused by climate change. Large parts of the continent are likely to experience temperature increases higher than the global average increases. This, in turn, will have serious implications for agricultural production and access to food. Widespread poverty, forced migration and increased conflict are likely consequences.
From 28th November to 9th December 2011, governments of the world will gather in Durban, South Africa, for the Seventeenth Conference of parties (COP 17) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to continue ongoing climate negotiations.
As people of faith from southern Africa, we have gathered and reflected at a faith-based regional workshop on climate change organised by the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) and the Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa (FOCISSA) in Lusaka, Zambia (4–6 May). We believe we are confronted with a common challenge that threatens the wellbeing of the planet, indeed of humanity. We, as faith communities, acknowledge that we have not always played our stewardship role as we should. We acknowledge that each of us has a responsibility to care for our planet and we call on all communities to join us in accepting fully this responsibility.
Contacts
For Economic Justice Network: Percy Makombe, pe...@ejn.org.za
For Council of Churches of Zambia: Elias M. Banda, +260 211 224 622, cczc...@gmail.com
For SAFCEI: Bishop Geoff Davies: +27 83 754 5275, geoff....@safcei.org.za
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Thank you
Mzulungile Cabanga
Alternative Information and Development Centre
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