Faith groups to ‘Make COP26 Count’
'Faith groups... have a history of driving political change, and can build on this.'
Faith groups should prioritise amplifying the stories of frontline communities impacted by climate breakdown. This was one of the conclusions that came out of an interfaith climate event last month. The Make COP26 Count event, organised by an interfaith coalition including Quakers in Britain, brought MPs, peers and faith representatives together to hear lived experience of global communities on the front line of the crisis. It also focused on next steps, including the need for action on loss and damage financing.
Other ‘key learnings’ from the event were that faith groups ‘have a history of driving political change, and can build on this’; and that ‘faith groups share key values that underpin their push for climate justice’.
The session also highlighted that loss and damage financing is ‘more needed than ever, as other avenues of supporting communities impacted by climate breakdown become less feasible’.
Enamul Mazid Khan Siddique, head of Climate Justice and Natural Resource Rights at Oxfam in Bangladesh, explained that severe flooding is forcing Bangladeshis to flee to Europe as previously feasible adaptation strategies such as climate risk insurance are no longer financially viable. He said that commitments on loss and damage at the UN Conference of Parties (COP26) in November would be a major step to prevent this.
Caroline Lucas, MP and chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Climate Change, argued that loss and damage needs additional finance rather than adaptation or mitigation. She urged faith groups to continue to pressure parliamentarians for action on this, and encouraged MPs to continue to work closely with faith groups.
The gathering also heard about the devastating effects of climate change in the Solomon Islands, where tropical cyclones and rising seas have destroyed homes and forced many to relocate.
The event was organised by the Make COP Count coalition, in partnership with the APPG on Climate Change and the APPG on Faith and Society.
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