Show leadership on climate, says BYM
Quakers have backed a letter calling on the UK government to show leadership on climate justice
Quakers have backed a letter calling on the UK government to show leadership on climate justice among rich countries. The letter, signed by faith leaders, was part of a nationwide week of action called ‘Make Polluters Pay’ that Quakers have been supporting.
The letter was handed in to David Lammy, foreign secretary, at a vigil outside the Foreign Office last week attended by Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh and Buddhist representatives.
Paul Parker, recording clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM), was one of the signatories urging the foreign secretary to take the initiative at the upcoming COP29 by contributing new funding to the International Loss and Damage Fund. It must do this in the form of grants, not loans, and by taxing pollution and wealth, rather than repurposing official development assistance, the letter says.
The twenty-one signatories call on the UK government to champion a new ‘collective quantified goal’ for climate finance for developing countries, including sufficient funding to respond to loss and damage. ‘Our call to Make Polluters Pay is partly about our history,’ the letter continues. ‘When we factor in Britain’s colonial past, the UK is the fourth largest contributor to climate change.’
Two fossil fuel giants, Shell and BP, are based here, enjoying record-breaking profits, the signatories write. ‘Meanwhile, many British households are struggling to heat their homes. At the same time, communities all around the world are being devastated by extreme weather events, such as flooding, super storms and forest fires. ‘These inequalities need to be redressed, to acknowledge the intrinsic value of every living being on our precious and finite earth.’
