Diocese of Oxford Copenhagen Blog

Looking to 2010

2009-12-22T15:10:00.003Z

You will by now have heard that following two years of intense negotiations, the news from Copenhagen has been disspointing. Last minute wrangling failed to deliver the agreement so many had hoped for.

And yet, Copenhagen has helped to build momentum for change, as others have said: "It takes a lot to get an elephant moving, but when you do it is hard to stop...the elephant is moving..."

It is clear that we need to keep pushing for progess globally in 2010, but that we also need to look locally at what we can do here in the UK.

The Diocese of Oxford has plans to support and resource churches in the diocese to respond to climate change at both the global and local level in 2010:

Living Hope: Green Churches & Green Schools - On 6th March there will be a conference in Gt Missenden to explore practical ways to respond to climate change, and how we can keep the post-Copenhagen process moving. Put the date in your new 2010 diary!

Stay up-to-date - subscribe to our website to stay informed of environment news from the Diocese of Oxford in 2010.

For analysis on the meetings in Copenhagen - and subsequent calls for action - use the links below:

Copenhagen analysis - BBC | Stop Climate Chaos | Tearfund | Friends of the Earth

Actions - Email Ed Miliband - Friends of the Earth | Email Gordon Brown - Christian Aid & Oxfam

So now it's Mexico 2010

2009-12-21T09:48:00.002Z

I think it was the President of Brazil who first came up with the comment that if it had been a bank the planet would have been saved by now. But it's not, and it hasn't been.

However much politicians and commentators claim that the "Copenhagen accord" promulgated by President Obama represents success of a kind, it is hard to see the much antipated conference as anything other than a failure. Those who think otherwise are overlooking the fact that the accord represents an agreement that is wholly unacceptable to the people who have long been suffering the consequences of irreversible climate change. Christian Aid's Nelson Muffuh said: "We hoped that sanity would prevail, but powerful nations didn't come to negotiate. They came to play hardball. Lives will be lost as a result." Barabara Stocking of Oxfam was equally succinct: "World leaders seem to have forgotten they were not negotiating numbers. They were negotiating lives."

So now we have to regroup and look forward once more, this time to Mexico in 2010. Campaigners are likely to be calling on the EU and other developed countries, especially the United States, to reconvene talks at the earliest opportunity, to strengthen what is currently on the table and transform it into a legally binding treaty.

Is it asking too much of a public that is already showing signs of climate change fatigue to engage in still more campaigning on the issue? The voices of the deniers have been strengthened by the failure in Copenhagen. If you doubt that, take a look at the comments posted in response to articles in the national press, many expressing jubilation that, as they see it, the debate is now closed.

For UK voters, though, the General Election in 2010 offers an unparalleled opportunity to let politicians know that we care about climate change and the people it is killing. We should not forget that political will is an infinitely renewable resource, and next year is an ideal time to put that message across to parliamentary candidates of all parties.

I suspect that in a couple of weeks' time, a significant number of people will be making some "green" resolutions: to use the car less, turn down the thermostat and so on. And all power to them for doing so. But to be truly effective, those resolutions must also contain something about political lobbying and something about spreading the word as to what even a two degree rise in average global temperatures really means for the developing world.

We must continue to challenge people in the churches who continue to dispute the science as an excuse for doing nothing. And to challenge our churches, nationally and internationally, to move away from statements of pious hope (such as that by the World Council of Churches to the final plenary session in Copenhagen last Friday), and instead to speak prophetically to governments and decision-makers, to remind them that climate change is a matter of numbers of lives rather than numbers on a budget sheet.

Next year will be demanding, in every sense. Are we ready for it?

A Prayer for the Earth

2009-12-19T13:18:00.002Z

Yesterday was officially the last day of the Climate Change negotiations in Copenhagen, but even as I write, delegates are still in session some 14 hours after President Obama left the Bella Centre and the world was told that a deal had been made.

A deal has indeed been made, but many of the smaller and most vulnerable nations are not happy. The debates, discussions and analysis will go on, and much work still has to be done.

With this is mind, I would like to share with you a prayer that was written by World Vision’s Tim Costello, and which was read at the service that I attended last Sunday in the Cathedral in Copenhagen. The sermon was delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

A Prayer for the Earth

Most gracious God, creator of all good things, we thank you for planet earth and all creatures that share it.

Have mercy on us, Lord. Through ignorance and carelessness we have poisoned clean air and pure water. For monetary gain we have reduced verdant forests to barren wastes. In our craving for more we have plundered your beloved creation and driven many of our fellow creatures to extinction. Only recently have we begun to realize the dangerous future into which our current patterns of consumption and waste are driving us, especially in relation to earth’s climate. Only recently have we begun to see our need to find a wiser and better way of life in the future, before it is too late and our choices are limited by the consequences of inaction.

We who join in prayer today believe the time has come, Lord. Please guide us now, our God, at this critical moment in history, to better fulfil our role as stewards of this fragile planet. Guide the leaders of nations who gather in Copenhagen this week and next. Give them courage to set noble goals that reach beyond short-range political expediency, short-term economic profit, and short-sighted self-interest. Impress upon their conscience our sacred duty to bequeath to our children and grandchildren a healthy and thriving environment rather than a world in climate crisis.

If our leaders fail, Lord, to take the necessary action, they will violate both our trust and your calling to use their power for the common good. If they fail, every person will be affected, including generations not yet born. Rouse us all to action for we are all woven together in the fabric of creation.

This is the moment, God, when a great turning of hearts must begin. So through this prayer, we of many traditions who follow Christ -- joined by friends and neighbours of many faiths – unite our hearts in a cry for change.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray in the name of Christ, through whom you have given yourself to the whole world in incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.
Amen.

Shalom
Tim Costello
Chief Executive
WORLD VISION AUSTRALIA
For more information: www.worldvision.org.uk

Lights in the gloom

2009-12-17T11:38:00.004Z

Despondency seems to be setting in among observers and commentators. Heaven knows how the delegates themselves are feeling, with their all-night sittings and more to come. You have to get your light relief where you can find it.

So how about looking at Greenpeace's inspired contribution to climate change activism: an animated cartoon figure called Coalfinger. This is a supervillain who, with his sidekick Dr Anthracite, plans to cover the world in coal-fired power stations - a project not a million miles away from the aspirations of some of the most vociferous climate-change deniers. The unlikely Bond-figure is one Graverson Green, who calls on the world to work together to stop dirty coal plants and to fight for clean and renewable energy. I feel there may a sermon illustration lurking there somewhere.

Over the last few years of conferences I have enjoyed the "Fossil of the Day" awards. Yesterday, while the US took both first and third places, Canada (an all too familiar villain) came second. This was for their leaked Cabinet plan to allow oil and gas emissions to rise by 37% above current levels by 2020, despite the public promise of an overall 3% reduction.

Outside the conference there is encouragement among the gloom. Some of the many campaigners excluded thanks to a monumental miscalculation that saw 25,000 passes allocated when there was only ever room for 15,000 people, have made their point nonetheless. Yesterday representatives from Indian Dalit and indigenous communities burned their conference badges in protest at the lack of community participation in the whole UNFCCC process. And while the Prime Minister of Ethiopia saw fit to join forces with some industrialised countries (including France and the UK) in the name of all Africa, the Pan-Africa climate Justice Alliance - a coalition of more than 200 civil society organisations from across Africa - made it very clear, in an "authorised" protest that he most certainly did not speak on their behalf.

A lot can happen in the remaining two days, but I worry that many of us will be feeling increasingly helpless, opening the door wider to the growing movements of climate change denial. What can the church do? A surprisingly unambitious "seven-year plan" for tackling environmental issues launched recently by the Church of England suggested that the church should if necessary "go it alone", although what "it" might be is far from clear. My personal feeling is that we should not be afraid to put our collective weight behind future government initiatives to address climate change, whether or not that government is of our preferred political hue. That would be a challenge indeed.

Copenhagen Prayer Points

2009-12-15T13:06:00.003Z

Below are some prayer points and an update on progress from Micah Network members at the COP negotiations happening in Copenhagen:

The G77 countries suspended their engagement with one track of the process for a number of hours earlier yesterday. In response developed countries did the same for the other track. Basically the deal currently on the table looks pretty bad for developing countries. They are concerned that the way the programme was structured was helping some developed countries get away with a weaker deal and wriggle out of their commitments. Talks have now restated.

NGOs here are up in arms about increasingly severe restrictions on access to the conference centre throughout the week as Heads of State start to arrive. By Thursday and Friday hardly anyone will be able to get in, which is a major concern for what is meant to be a transparent, publicly accountable process.

What needs to Happen

· Ambition gap – Still a big gap between what is needed (40% emissions cuts by rich countries on 1990 levels by 2020 and $200 bill per year additional to ODA commitments per year by 2020) and what is being discussed as options here. Heads of State and ministers need to bring new announcements to raise ambition levels.

· Loopholes – Even if there is movement on this numerous loopholes that have plagued the Kyoto Protocol track and undermined emissions reductions have still not been resolved which would allow countries to wriggle out of meeting tough targets even if they are agreed. Negotiators and ministers need to close the loopholes to avoid a weak deal.

· Legal form – Urgent clarity is needed on a way forward which provides a robust legally binding outcome from Copenhagen to enable us to keep global average temperature rise below 2 degrees.

Pray

· Pray for progress in the talks – especially for real movement to close the ambition gap, shut down the loopholes and clarify the legal form and timeframe for a final deal

· Pray for rich countries to stop playing hard ball and to listen to the anger and frustration of the majority of countries here who will be hit first and worst by climate change and did the least to cause it. Pray that they will give much more.

· Pray for continued energy for those from Micah Network at the negotiations, for wisdom and for God to open up the right doors at the right times with the right people for us.

Small Island, big impact

2009-12-14T21:42:00.004Z

Tuvalu is a small Polynesian island state in the Pacific Ocean. There are four reef islands, and five atolls. A member of the Commonwealth, all of its islands are no more than 4m above sea level, and most people live below 2m above sea level. At only a total of 10 or so square miles, it is the 4th smallest country in the world.

But it has been making a big impact on the climate change negotiations. Five days ago their delegation asked for the negotiations to be suspended to gain time to resolve differences that had arisen between the Alliance of Small Island States and the Least Developed Countries on the one hand, and some of the wealthier nations. On Saturday, after informal discussions had been held to resolve the differences, the plenary session resumed, and the Tuvalu representative was one of the first to speak.

He noted that some media had accused Tuvalu of trying to embarrass the Danish government by suspending the talks. In an emotional speech, he assured the chairman that this was not the case, and he was very concerned not to offend the host nation.

He had received calls of support from all over the world and requests for media interviews, but had refused to do them. “I am a humble and insignificant employee of the government of Tuvalu”, he said, “and I make a strong plea that we consider this matter properly…. I woke up this morning crying”. He was tearful again as he pleaded, movingly. “The future of my country rests in your hands”.

The response to his speech was a round of applause, led from the back of the hall where I sat with colleagues from World Vision. It is here where NGOs and others who are allowed to observe the negotiations have to sit. It was a long and sustained applause, but what he really needs is a deep cut in global emissions, or his beautiful country is doomed.

For more information: www.worldvision.org.uk

Archbishop Rowan talks to Christian Aid

2009-12-14T15:28:00.003Z

Bareheaded despite the cold, Archbishop Rowan Williams spoke to Christian Aid before the start of the 100,000-strong march in Copenhagen on Saturday.

Asked why he thought it was important for him to be there, the Archbishop said: "It's important for faith communities to be visible. It's important for the leaders of communities to be visible. And I hope that some things that the communities of faith across the world, especially the Christian churches, are saying will really help to give some leverage in this situation."

He summed up the theological basis for campaigning on climate change like this: "Firstly the world isn't ours. The world is something we're part of, we don't own it, and God has given us responsibilites in the world for care and nurture of the actual material world we're in, and of one another. Second, it's about justice. Climate change weighs most heavily on those least powerful, least advantaged in the world. There's a clear imperative there."

In his sermon the next day at the international ecumenical service in Copenhagen Cathedral Archbishop Rowan contrasted paralysing fear with liberating love, taking as his text "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4.18). The full text of his sermon is available at www.archbishopofcanterbury.org

It was all stirring stuff. And as the conference enters the all-important second week, we can only pray that the negotiators will take heed of the Archbishop's twofold message: "First, don't be afraid, but ask how the policies you follow and the lifestyle you take for granted look in the light of the command to love the world you inhabit ... And second, don't separate this from the question of how we learn to trust one another within a world of limited resources. In such a world there can be no trust without justice, without the assurance of knowing that my neighbour is there for me when I face insecurity or risk." Amen to that.

A weekend in Denmark

2009-12-14T11:52:00.003Z

On Friday I travelled with over 100 other Christian Aid supporters to Copenhagen, to take part in the civil society actions in the middle weekend of the climate summit. With the talks in deadlock, the presence of thousands of activists from all over the world acted as a reminder that we expect results, and are still hopeful for them. We march to ask for a effective and legally binding deal, which commits to 80% carbon dioxide cuts in industrialised nations like Britain by 2050, and offers a considerable level of support to developing countries, to enable them draw their citizens out of poverty, but without polluting substantially as we have done (this has been called a "leapfrog fund").

After a 19 hour trip, we arrived at 1.00am on Friday evening to stay in a local school, who had kindly agreed to allow us all to descend on their gym floor for the weekend. Saturday, after a morning of placard making and cold showers, saw us join over 100 000 campaigners from throughout the world, in a march from the centre of town, to The Bella Centre where the talks are taking place. APRODEV organisations, including Christian Aid, came together under the 'Time for Climate Justice' banner (APRODEV is the association of the 17 major development and humanitarian aid organisations in Europe, which work closely together with the World Council of Churches).

The demonstration, known as 'The Flood' (The Wave's bigger sister!) was fantastic. At the start of the march we met 28 cyclists, who had spent three days cycling from London, raising a total of £50, 000 in sponsorship towards Christian Aid's development programmes. The opening rally included concerned celebrities like Helena Christensen, and experts like Friends of the Earth International Director Nnimmo Bassey.

News coverage across Europe yesterday focused heavily on the 900 people held by the Danish police early on in the demonstration - when the 'black block' (an anarchist group identified by their black 'uniform') were rounded up, along with hundreds of regular marches who happened to stray into their path - but, as is often the case with media representation, this event was a minor blot in an otherwise fantastic, peaceful and fun day. A samba band, great chants, and some genius adjustments to Christmas lyrics ("Copenhagen are you listening/ In the land where snow is glistening/ If we keep on warming up, the planet like this/ We won't be walking in a winter wonderland") made for a carnival-like atmosphere. Christian Aid, and other NGOs like the World Development Movement, had welcomed international partners from the majority world, who joined us wearing their traditional dress and adding an authentic voice to our claim that climate change is an issue of justice: the developing world being adversely affected by a problem essentially begun by the rich West. Recognising the breadth of support and the level of interest from all over the world, which obviously included a strong presence from Europe, was exciting and hugely encouraging.

On Sunday APRODEV groups, including Christian Aid and the DanChurchAid, started the day with a 'Hopenhagen' rally in the centre of town. Desmond Tutu presented Yvo de Boer (who is currently the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change) with a 'Countdown to Copenhagen' clock representing the 512894 people who had signed the Countdown to Copenhagen pledge, calling on world leaders to act fair and fast, as well as pledging to reduce their own carbon footprints. Tutu, who was clearly revered by the crowd, spoke passionately about of affects of climate change on Africa - "God is crying [when he sees what we are doing to the planet]", he said. But when we join together as one people, in a celebration to call on our governments to act, "God is beginning to smile". He called on Yvo de Boer to represent the people of developing world, and chastised the leaders at the UN Summit, saying "People in the conference centre are fretting in the conference over a financial, economic and industrial crisis - it's actually a moral and environmental crisis". Towards the end of his speech, the crowd chanted "Yes we can!", and I personally wanted to burst out into cheers and woops when Tutu was arguing that the richer nations needed to assist developing countries to develop, with polluting the atmosphere in the way that we have done: "They can afford it. Just think of the money that is being spent on arms, just think of the money that is being spent to kill their brothers!!"

This was followed by an ecumenical service in Copenhagen's Cathedral, where Archbishop Rowan Williams gave an inspiring sermon, and Desmond Tutu offered the blessing in his mother tongue. Representatives from faith groups in Greenland, Zambia, Denmark and Tuvalu participated in the service, which was attended by a packed congregation, an overflow of over 100 people in the University Hall, and a small crowd of people outside the Cathedral watching in the freezing cold on a big screen. The weekend ended for us with another monster coach journey, ending at 9.00am this morning back in London.

We all had an amazing time. The Christian Aid group included seasoned and mature supporters, a group of Platform2 returnees (Platform2 is a government-funded scheme to allow people who haven't had a chance to travel, to opportunity to volunteer abroad for 10 weeks), a group of students and their chaplains from Lancaster University, and a People and Planet group from Bristol. Climate change seems to be an issue that has the power to spur a whole variety of groups into action, and unite under one banner. We have little choice but to come together. Climate change is a cumulative problem, that needs to be dealt with at an international level, with no nations or communities left unpersuaded that they need to act. For as Desmond Tutu argued on Sunday, "this is one problem, where we'll all be winners or all be losers". Whatever deal comes out of Copenhagen, it's imperative that all over the world people put pressure on governments, industry and their local communities to slash their carbon emissions, and consciously discern the affects their actions have on the only planet we have been given.

Climate Justice in Copenhagen?

2009-12-12T16:45:00.002Z

Marching through the streets of Copenhagen with thousands of people from all over the world, representing hundreds of organisations - it couldn't get more exciting than that, could it?

This was the second march I've been on in a week, as I took part in The Wave in London last Saturday. I am in Copenhagen at the COP15 Climate Summit with the Tearfund team. We marched with two members of Tear Netherlands, met a man from Mission East (a Danish Christian NGO) and later on met two members of 24/7 prayer, with whom we will be sharing brunch and praying tomorrow. It was so exciting to bump into all these people, as we had prayed that God would cause us to meet the right people at the right time today.

There were many more bicycles today in Copenhagen than at The Wave in London, and some very creative and inventive costumes.

Praise God for a fun and safe march today, and for the progress made in the talks over the past week. Please pray for the Tearfund team, for continued and renewed energy and excitement for the week ahead, as the world leaders arrive.

It is so exciting to be in Copenhagen, and it will be even more exciting if world leaders can secure a strong and fair deal, so that the poorest will be protected and climate justice will be a reality.

On the side

2009-12-11T17:19:00.002Z

The first week of UNFCCC conferences is always packed with tremendously interesting and informative "side events". These are lectures, seminars or discussions on virtually any aspect of climate change put on by groups from across the world. Space on-site is much sought after in the months leading up to the conference, and Christian Aid was fortunate not only to secure a venue for its panel discussion today but also to have Naomi Klein as one of the panellists.

In response to a question about integrating legal rights into the climate change debate, Ms Klein said it was no longer a question of a right to development but a right to survival. Referring to the plight of the people of Tuvalu, highlighted earlier in the week, Naomi Klein continued: 'It's not just about climate refugees but about cultures disappearing under the waves'. She quoted the President of Sri Lanka who had referred to 'a benign form of genocide' and suggested that it was not particularly benign.

She went on: 'After having all the information in front of us and choosing to do nothing, we cannot plead ignorance. I woke up this morning thinking about the word "adaptation". We have had seminars about adaptation in Bangladesh. Why are they the only ones adapting to climate change? We need seminars about how the rich world needs to adapt to climate change, by shopping less and so on, not just Bangladesh.'

The presence of young people at these conferences has become much more marked in the last few years, and last night some of them were out and about in the city of Copenhagen. Led by DanChurch Aid (Christian Aid's Danish sister agency) they organised a 'follow me flash mob', created by using mobile phones and social networking sites, and in the cold and wet, a long stream of people, not all of them particularly young, made their way to a refugee climate camp in the heart of the city. Here, Jack, a gap year volunteer from Christian Aid in Wales, explained to a slightly puzzled American television interviewer why it was important. They were there, he said, to draw the attention of this busy city to people in countries like Kenya being forced to leave their homes because of the changing climate.

Whatever the outcome of negotiations next week, both delegates and local people can hardly fail to come away from Copenhagen rather better informed than they were even a few days ago. And some of them will have had quite a bit of fun in the process.

Things to watch for from Copenhagen

2009-12-11T15:39:00.005Z

At the Copenhagen climate change talks, three broad groups are emerging:

Firstly, there are the traditional developed nations (or, in climate change speak, the ‘Annex 1’ nations). They have historic responsibility for almost all of the greenhouse gas emissions, but most still seem to be using the talks to further their own self-interests, rather than the broader interests of humanity.

They have the moral responsibility to make the greatest contribution to solving the problems that are being faced here. They bear historical responsibility for putting the carbon into the atmosphere, and have reaped the rewards of industrialisation, indeed sometimes through colonisation and exploitation of raw materials from less developed countries.

Secondly, there is a group comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and China (referred to as the BASIC group). They are the wealthiest of the developing nations, and are set to be the source of some 60% of greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2030 as they continue on their development trajectory. They need to play their part in the negotiations.

The remaining group is made up of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the Least Developed Countries, and the Africa Group. They are the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. They are also the countries where World Vision works with communities to tackle poverty. Climate change could undermine much of this good work and affect the health and well-being of millions.

Historically, these nations have been responsible for a negligible amount of greenhouse gas emissions, yet they are already being affected. In fact some of the small islands may soon cease to exist; others are approaching tipping points from which they may never recover.

Yesterday was Human Rights Day, and in a presentation made by members from AOSIS, we were reminded of what they face: where will their populations be relocated to as sea levels rise and flood their islands? What will be their rights in their ‘host’ countries? What will happen to their sovereign rights? What rights does a displaced nation hold?

Next week, the world’s leaders will be judged on the agreement they make – the pathway they choose and how committed they are to solving the climate change problem. They face a number of decisions, but here are the key points to watch:

We need to put a limit on how much more global temperatures can increase. This limit should be 1.5 degrees if the most vulnerable are going to have a chance to survive and enjoy reasonable health
There needs to be funding in the order of some $150 billion per annum by 2020, if we are going to be able to address the immediate impacts of climate change, particularly on the most vulnerable, including women, children and disabled people.
The nature of any agreement reached here must be legally binding (not ‘politically binding’) so that it will be enforceable. We must be able to hold governments to account if they break their promises.

For more information: www.worldvision.org.uk

Age of Stupid on BBC4 - Monday 14th at 10pm

2009-12-11T09:46:00.002Z

This Monday (14th Dec) the climate film that has been making lots of headlines, The Age of Stupid, will be shown on BBC4 at 10pm - and we believe available on the BBC iPlayer after. If you have not yet seen this film, now is a great opportunity!

The Age of Stupid is a film starring Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite as a man living alone in the devastated world of 2055, looking at actual footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance?

“We could have saved ourselves, but we didn’t. It’s amazing. What state of mind were we in, to face extinction and simply shrug it off?… We wouldn’t be the first life form to make itself extinct. But what would be unique about us is that we did it knowingly. What does that say about us?”

The film uses a mix of news footage from the past few years, along with widely accepted scientific predictions, to paint a picture of the impact that climate change is having, and will have, upon the earth and humankind. Weaving in and out of this are the stories of a diverse group of real people from across the world – a wind farm developer, a business man starting the first cheap airline in India, a glacier climbing guide, a woman suffering the consequences of oil spills in Nigeria, a retired scientist who has spent his life searching for oil, and the demonstrators against a local wind-farm. The film presents these peoples lives so that you catch glimpses of some of the apparent contradictions, and attempts to try and not answer those contradictions too much, leaving the viewer to chew on them instead. This is a brave, helpful move… we’ve all got contradictions in our responses to such a complex issue… and the ‘holier than though’ approach only ends up alienating everyone from each other. Read More

After The Wave

2009-12-10T12:25:00.006Z

It was so exciting to be part of a movement of people all calling for climate justice. There were so many different organisations being represented by people of all ages and beliefs. The photographs show some of the placards with powerful messages to world leaders.

After the march, I went to a meeting with representatives from every organisation in the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition. Ed Miliband, the Minister for Energy and Climate Change took many questions from organisations such as UNICEF, the Wildlife Trust, Tearfund, Greenpeace and the NHS. One question from a member of the youth Stop Climate Chaos Coalition asked Ed whether young people would get their voices heard at Copenhagen, and afterwards, in government talks on climate change. Ed answered that during a meeting held the day before, Gordon Brown said: "Just do it", so from Copenhagen onwards, there will be young people on the advisory board at the Department for Energy and Climate Change. This is a really positive step forward and will hopefully mean that action on climate change will move from conversations round tables to action on the ground.

From Humbo to Copenhagen

2009-12-10T10:37:00.003Z

Assefa Tofu joined World Vision Ethiopia about 5 years ago. He has a background in ago-forestry, and was surprised when he joined the organisation to find that it did not work specifically on environmental issues.

I chatted to Assefa yesterday afternoon: he is convinced that environmental issues in general, and climate change in particular, are a root cause of the poverty that he sees in his country. For him, the two issues cannot be separated.

He is now in charge of World Vision’s first climate change mitigation project, a community-managed reforestation project in Humbo, in the south west part of Ethiopia. It has been hailed as a highly successful example of a development reforestation project that benefits the environment through natural resource management and increased biodiversity. It also contributes to poverty alleviation in the community by creating a new community-based income stream through the generation of carbon offset credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – a system that is part of the Kyoto Protocol, and that is reserved for developing countries.

The project uses a technique called Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration to restore indigenous, bio-diverse forest species. It has enabled the rural communities to own their own forests and forest products and see significant forest restoration over a relatively short period. The project is an example of how community participation, scientific knowledge and practical application can come together to benefit poor communities.

Assefa is also part of the official Ethiopian Government delegation here at the Copenhagen Climate Change talks. He has been included as a technical expert to advise the Ethiopian government. For him, this has been a remarkable experience as he has had to make regular shifts from dealing with on-the-ground effects of climate change in Humbo, to working with his government team on the position they should take for the country, and then to the international negotiation table itself.

I find the climate change talks an incredibly complex and complicated process that is difficult and exhausting to follow. Through his engagement with the process over a longer period of time, and with his experience and witness of climate change on the ground, this man of God seems to be thriving and making a real contribution, both for his country’s delegation and also for the World Vision team.

For more information: www.worldvision.org.uk

Lifting the burden?

2009-12-09T13:50:00.002Z

Yesterday morning, Christian Aid partners from India, Burkina Faso and Tajikistan presented delegates from the developed nations with an invoice for $150 billion - an estimate of how much damage climate change has already done to communities across the developing world. Sathish Samuel from India said: 'Developing countries are taking the burden. We want justice and hope that something will come out of Copenhagen.'

That afternoon, the contents of a secret draft document entitled 'Copenhagen accords', that had been circulating among representatives of some of the richest nations, were leaked to a UK newspaper. To the outrage of delegates from the developing world, the document appears to want to shift the financial burden of climate change onto developing countries. The chief negotiator of the G77 group of developing countries described this as 'a major violation which threatens the success of the Copenhagen negotiations'.

It doesn't look as though the burden of climate change will be lifted from poor countries any time yet. Quite the opposite: it seems that some of the world's richest countries simply want to add to it.

Vigils for a Real Deal at Copenhagen

2009-12-08T09:15:00.002Z

This week organisations Avaaz and 350 are asking people to gather in every corner of the world to hold vigil's for climate action, to raise the message that the world wants a real deal at Copenhagen. There are already vigils planned in Oxford (details) , Reading and Abingdon - why not join a vigil near you? Or if there isn't one planned, why not organise one yourself? Full details here.

Notes from Copenhagen Climate Change talks

2009-12-07T22:07:00.002Z

As you will know by now, the United Nations Climate Change negotiations have at last begun today in Copenhagen.

World Vision is represented by a comparatively small delegation, and it’s easy to feel somewhat overwhelmed by the scale of this event. The venue is huge, and there are estimated to be 30,000 delegates - the population of a small town! While some of the negotiations go on behind closed doors, there are many side events and public exhibits which provide a lot of interest, and meetings with NGOs who work together to monitor the process and lobby on issues that concern us. As a Christian humanitarian, development and advocacy organization, the focus of our work is on the poorest and most vulnerable communities and nations.

Despite the recent claims by some (quoting leaked emails), the overwhelming consensus of climate scientists is that the world’s climate is changing and that these changes have grave implications for the planet, for humanity and particularly for the poor.

Poor children are already suffering from climate change and they will continue to suffer the most. The poor are least able to protect themselves from its effects and they are least able to recover from climatic disasters. They tend to live in the most vulnerable areas, such as low-lying land prone to flooding, or marginal agricultural land prone to drought. They are the most vulnerable to the spread of tropical diseases. They are more likely to have to leave their homes in search of water or to escape flooding. They are the most vulnerable to the effects of the conflicts likely to arise from international tensions over water, energy and displaced people.

Climate change is not an issue for those who happen to be interested in ‘the environment’. It is a cross-cutting global emergency that is already being felt and which will impact every area of World Vision’s work in coming years. It will affect the core areas of our work, including health, food security, water security, disasters, conflict and refugees, gender, Christian witness, the rights of children, and economic development.

Climate change constitutes one of the greatest threats ever faced by the poor. How World Vision responds will determine our effectiveness in achieving our mission for decades to come. How those leaders and negotiators here in Copenhagen respond will determine the kind of world which our children and grandchildren (and those beyond them) will inherit.

Bishop John on Copenhagen 2009

2009-12-07T16:08:00.005Z

More "Wave" stories

2009-12-07T08:15:00.002Z

There are wonderful accounts of local church groups' time at "The Wave" appearing in various places: have a look at the St John's and St Stephen's "Greening St John's" website and the "Didcot Green Team" for starters.

The Wave

2009-12-05T20:43:00.004Z

The day began for me at 10.00 with a photo-call for bishops and church leaders followed by an ecumenical service in a packed Westminster Central Hall.

In a stirring address the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of good news for the whole creation and of how we need to live in a way that will mean stepping back from some of the things we think we need in order to allow others to have the things they really need. The Archbishop of Westminster spoke of living simply so that others could simply live.

After the service we poured out onto the march and were part of a great crowd that wound its way through central London and eventually encircled the Houses of Parliament. It was a clear and joyful message to the governments of the world that these Copenhagen talks have got to succeed. We need agreement on cutting carbon emissions and we need climate justice for the whole of the earth.

On the march I bumped into lots of people from the Oxford diocese – parties from Ascot, Burghfield, Caversham, East Reading, Pangbourne, Thatcham and Woodley. I saw some girls who I confirmed last week. Maranda St John Nicholls was hard at work organising church leaders at the service. Martin Conway, along with thousands of others, was in the crowd. It was day to feel good about humanity and to rekindle hope for the world.

Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading