The year 2021 is a “super year” for audacious action to be taken, on the dual crises of climate and biodiversity collapse, plus the global health pandemic that has gripped “our common home.” All these crises have been caused by human excesses and lack of cooperation. Several scientific papers have established that the destruction of natural ecosystems increases the likelihood of future pandemics like COVID-19. This year is a critical moment to leverage ambitious targets and momentum on implementation in the international negotiations at two United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) meetings.
The first COP on October 11-24, 2021, is the Convention on Biodiversity (COP 15), where the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will be negotiated in light of the global community failing to reach the Aichi Biodiversity Targets[1] set ten years ago. The second meeting from November 1-12, 2021, is COP26 on Climate Change, where new national commitments to tackle the climate crises under the Paris Agreement are due to be delivered. The grave crises these COP processes intend to address are deeply and integrally connected, and so are their solutions.
Here are some key “advocacy asks”[2] for governments related to these COPs:
1. Ensure that human rights, social justice, and integrity of creation are at the center of the response to the current climate, public health, and biodiversity crises.
2. Governments must implement solutions that prioritize protecting people, the planet, and all of nature, including natural ecosystems over profit. Solutions must prioritize the needs of the poor and marginalized.
3. All governments must commit to no more loss of biodiversity, with biodiversity recovering worldwide from 2030 onwards.
4. All governments need to take urgent action to limit warming to a 1.5°C temperature target and put in place legislation, policies, and measures to achieve this target in a sustainable manner.
5. Governments must put in place the policies and legislation to achieve global net-zero emissions as soon as possible, which should include phasing out fossil fuels, investing in renewable and nature-friendly energy for all, and conserving and restoring natural ecosystems. High-emitting countries must take the lead in accordance with the common but differentiated responsibilities principle.
6. Governments should put GHG (greenhouse gas)-neutral nature-based solutions at the heart of their climate action, especially to improve the resilience of communities (including indigenous peoples), and countries to climate impacts, based on locally-led ecosystem preservation and restoration.
7. Climate finance needs to be urgently and significantly scaled up for poor and vulnerable countries and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
More details on COP15 and COP26 can be found on the Season of Creation website.
Take Action
This moment in time is a kairos moment or opportune time for all Christians to rise up in unanimity to support audacious targets to save our common home. Noting that both COPs will take place after the Season of Creation, we could not ask for a more timely moment to rise up. We propose the following joint actions that would allow the Christian Churches to support global advocacy efforts for just and ambitious outcomes on biodiversity and climate next year.
1. Join a global advocacy campaign
Join the campaign to ‘Pray and Act for Climate Justice,’ in the run-up to COP26 https://www.prayandact4climate.org/. This campaign brings together people of faith to act and pray for climate justice.
Join the Catholic petition on the climate crisis and biodiversity leading up to both COP15 Biodiversity Summit and COP26 Climate Summit
2. Engage locally
Local decision-makers, such as mayors, councilors, church leaders, members of national governments or parliaments, and others, may be involved in making decisions affecting climate and biodiversity. You can influence decisions locally and globally by speaking to local and national decision-makers about these issues. Phone their office, send them an email, or organize a meeting with them to raise your concerns.
Further resources with ideas for how to organize advocacy engagement (online, offline, high-level and grassroots meetings, and events), such as the Lutheran World Federation’s Guide “The critical role of faith actors in national climate debate: Understanding Nationally Determined Contributions,” which will be available through the Season of Creation website.
3. Join a mobilization
Young people and their supporters from all generations are coming together in global strikes in the movement known as Fridays for the Future. Public mobilization sends a strong message to decision-makers that change is needed. Visit Fridays for the Future or Laudato Si’ Generation, the movement of young Catholics, for more information on the strikes. You can also organize your own demonstration at your church, school, or government building, to raise attention to the issues.
4. Encourage institutions to divest
Despite the climate and ecological crisis caused by burning fossil fuels, many institutions are continuing to invest their money in fossil fuel production. Join a campaign for institutions to divest their finances from fossil fuels, and invest in renewable energy instead.
Share your advocacy work
Follow the campaigns on our Facebook and Twitter pages, and amplify our “advocacy asks” on your social media handles by using #SeasonofCreation. Also, join the Season of Creation public group to get inspiring updates and share your events and experiences.
Share photos, poems, and paintings about climate, biodiversity, and post- COVID changes in your community to tell the story of nature around you and your relationship with creation. Write a blog about the activity you organized or participated in.
For more information, visit seasonofcreation.org
[1] Part of the revised Strategic Plan for Biodiversity adopted by the UN Conference of Parties (COP) in its tenth meeting held from October 18-29, 2010 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
[2] Statements articulating the expected result to be achieved through advocacy for a certain part of the program.
