Why faith matters at COP26

With the latest round of international climate talks (COP26) coming up in November, there’s been a lot of activity around the agenda and the priorities. All interest groups want to make sure that their cause is heard – whether that’s the world’s most vulnerable countries, or business groups, or advocates of particular technologies.

In the buzz of competing claims, Green Christian have been working to communicate what a faith perspective can bring to the talks. Does the Christian faith have anything to contribute to COP26?

The presentation Why Faith Matters sets out four distinctive contributions:

1. Our interconnectedness with nature – the Bible speaks of humanity as embedded within the natural world, in relationships of interdependence. Our wellbeing as a society depends on a healthy relationship with our environment.
2. The importance of climate justice – the God we serve cares for the poorest and most vulnerable, and delivers justice for the oppressed. And so we recognise climate change as a justice issue, with the least responsible suffering the greatest harm.
3. Joy in enough – familiar to readers of this particular site, we believe that happiness does not lie in ever increasing consumption and competition for status. We believe in generosity, hospitality, shared abundance and contentment.
4. Hope – at a time when despair never feels far from the discussion, Christians draw on a deep well of hope, holding open the possibility of change.

To find out more about each of these points, and how they can be practically applied in the UK, take a few minutes to view the Why Faith Matters presentation. Pass it on, and let’s talk about what Christians can contribute to the global challenge of the climate emergency.