LWF Presents Interfaith Call for Climate Justice

COP 19 Delegation Meets with UN Executive Christiana Figueres

(LWI) – On the initiative of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) delegation to the COP 19 in Warsaw, religious leaders from Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim and Buddhist traditions have vouched to fast for a meaningful outcome to the climate change negotiations. On 20 November the LWF delegation officially presented an “Interfaith Call to Fast for Climate Justice” to Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The call is supported by 28 religious organizations including the LWF.

“People of faith are concerned about the stewardship of creation. We see that the poor and vulnerable are affected the most by the severe weather events that are increasingly common in our world today,” said Caroline Richter, head of the LWF delegation. “Through the fast, all over the world, people have an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable.”

Christiana Figueres received the interfaith call to fast for climate justice. She insisted that for the parties to come to a conference with ambitious goals and commitments, politicians need to hear the voice of the people they represent; and that religions can help raise that voice.

Figueres shared with the LWF delegation her understanding of the significance of how religions are standing together, speaking out and taking action together on climate justice. “This is not a sprint, this is a marathon,” Figueres said, and invited the interfaith movement to keep up their engagement also after COP 19 and continue putting pressure on international and national level for the sake of the climate.