The climate is changing rapidly, and this change is affecting different parts of the world through storms, hurricanes, floods, and so forth, but most importantly, the droughts from which we suffer so much especially in my context in Southern Africa. These events must inspire us not just to raise ambitions for implementation of the Paris […]
As the end of the COP approaches, there are still so many unresolved issues, ranging from climate finance to clarity on how to implement Paris Agreement in a way that is both ambitious and that responds to the urgent needs of vulnerable communities. The trust and confidence that was built in Paris is starting to […]
“Culture. Tradition. Way of life. Diets. Their beliefs, their skills of when and how to fish, what to plant and when to harvest all depend on the surrounding environment that they have lived in for generations,” says Tafue Lusama, the General Secretary of the Church in Tuvalu of the people of his small island nation. […]
I am writing this blog from Bihar, the second largest state in India, which was ravaged by floods in August 2017 that killed more than 500 people and displaced over 12 million, causing huge destruction to human life, animals, the environment and the entire ecosystem. As I visit rural affected villages nearly 2 months later, I […]
After a week of negotiations at the UN climate summit taking place in Bonn, Germany, the World Council of Churches (WCC), The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and ACT Alliance – together representing more than half a billion Christians worldwide – expressed their concerns at the slow progress governments have made so far. “Climate justice cannot […]
It may be easy for parties to agree on the need for climate action, but as soon as the agenda turns to how the bill should be paid conflicts arise. And sadly, parties seem to have difficulties understanding, or even listening to, each other. I hope they will read this blog post. Maybe it will […]
Too often developed countries see climate change as a burden for their industrialised activities because the level of innovation and the systemic change required are of unprecedented scale. Indeed several economic sectors need major shifts in thinking about current methods of production and consumption. It is a matter of risk perception. If governments wait too […]
From 5th till 17th November 2017, all countries will meet for the 23rd annual Conference of Parties (COP23) of the international climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). While the negotiations will focus mostly on defining the rules of the Paris Agreement and preparing the first global stocktaking of climate […]
by Julia Jawtusch, Bread for all In the first day of the COP23 a group of development, church-based organisations (Caritas France, CIDSE and Bread for the World, Bread for all, both members of ACT Alliance) joined forces with the global peasant movement “La Via Campesina” for two side-events on the topic of agroecology. We decided […]
Growing up, we had happy memories of rain. You dance and sing under it, play games with your friends, and register happy memories in your brain when rainfall hits grass and soil, releasing nature’s scents. It is a bit disturbing when one sees children shiver at the sound heavy rainfall, run for cover at the […]