Reflections from the
CoP 24 climate change conference
in Katowice, Poland, December 2018
Whilst climate change now affects us all, it is largely the poor and marginalised who suffer the worst effects, although they have contributed least to the problem. It is a matter of JUSTICE which we Christians cannot shirk.
We went to Poland for two main reasons: firstly to counteract all the industry lobbyists and the nations such as the USA and Saudi Arabia who just wanted "business as usual"; secondly to educate and motivate ourselves to speak authoritatively on the issues.
The need for radical action is urgent. Two months before the conference, a new report from the scientific panel, the IPCC, set out the action needed to prevent catastrophic climate change. It is sober reading. We must cut our CO2 emissions 45% by 2030 and be ‘carbon neutral’ by 2050 to have any hope of limiting warming to 1.5oC. It is not impossible, but will require immense political, economic and social changes.
So what were the highlights?
1. The March for Climate Justice - carrying placards with humorous, but hard-hitting messages calling for action. The thousands of riot police, armed with riot shields, tear gas, plastic bullets and batons were totally bemused by our peaceful call to action.
2.
Meeting the CAFOD partner from Samoa who was also one of the negotiators
for the Pacific Islands. He was exhausted from several days of
negotiation and angry at the indifference of some oil-producing nations
to the plight of his homeland in the face of rising sea levels. He and
other delegates had seen our march at the height of their despondency
and had been inspired.
3. Meeting Archbishop Skworc of Katowice. The Polish government has little interest in climate change and Katowice is at the heart of its coal industry. Yet the Archbishop, who is chair of the Polish bishops, has been outspoken on the need to tackle climate change and asked every church in Poland to pray for the success of the conference. Great leadership!
The conference made some progress, but lacked the urgency needed to get to grips with the immensity of the changes needed to tackle the climate emergency. More and more commentators are now saying that the effort required is similar to that required to fight a world war. Just as in August 1914, it seems that the rich nations are just having too good a time to be disturbed by darkening clouds.
Yet we must not give in to negativity. The universal church has immense moral authority and most of its leaders have spoken out, including Pope Francis. His language is less about doom and gloom, but of love, hope and joy, for it is in appreciating the glory of God’s creation that our own ‘ecological conversion’ will begin.
Stephen Garsed