Quaker presence at climate conference in Bonn
Friends attended the UN Climate Change Conference
Quakers attended the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) that took place from 6 to 17 November in Bonn, Germany.
The nations of the world gathered with the aim of moving forward on the ambitions of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Syria signed the Agreement during COP23, leaving the US as the only country that has not signed.
Friends were represented by Lindsey Fielder Cook of the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva, and Susanna Mattingly, the sustainability communications officer at the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) World Office.
Wealthy countries, which have contributed most to climate change in the past, now need to make an extra effort to cut their own emissions and support developing countries to do the same, and to do so in a way that is fair.
To this end, Friends supported the launch of ‘Walk on Earth Gently’, the ‘Multi-Faith Sustainable Living Initiative’ organised by GreenFaith, a multi-faith environmental group helping people put belief into action. FWCC, Britain Yearly Meeting and other Quaker bodies are signatories to the statement, which calls on Friends and other people of faith to continue to make changes to reduce their carbon footprint, individually and collectively.
In an interview with the Friend, Susanna Mattingly said: ‘I came to COP23 to hear directly from those most affected by climate change and to make connections with other faith representatives working on sustainability.’
Speaking of ‘Walk on Earth Gently’, she said: ‘The statement represents a shared assertion by faith groups globally that widespread sustainable behaviour change is required if global temperature rise is to meet the targets set by the Paris Climate Agreement. It also marks the launch of a new international, multi-faith sustainable lifestyles initiative where religious leaders and people of faith pledge to adopt sustainable behaviours and call on their communities and world leaders to do the same.
‘Given that the vast majority of the world’s population identifies with a religion, working with faith groups in this way to coordinate sustainable living commitments means, as individuals and as communities, we have the potential to have real, meaningful impact.’
Susanna Mattingly also spoke of the stories she heard from Pacific islanders about the devastating impact climate change is having on their lives: ‘We have heard desperate pleas that we cannot ignore, urging the world to take action.
‘Urgent changes are needed, not just for future generations but for the sake of our common family around the world who are already living with the reality of climate change today.’
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