Interfaith community and global leaders join to combat climate change

September 28, 2009

New York – Next week at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, the General Assembly will convene for its 64th session since the creation of the U.N. organization in 1945. Leaders from around the world will join U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in affirming a strong global commitment to take action against climate change. The high-level summit on climate change marks an important milestone on the road to Copenhagen, Denmark, where the United Nations Climate Change Conference will take place this year from December 7 to 18.

The official summit with government leaders takes place alongside civil-society events during “Climate Week” in New York City. The faith-based community at the United Nations marked the beginning of the week on Sunday, September 20, with a Holy Mass for Climate Justice held at the Church of the Holy Family a few blocks from the United Nations.

On Monday, September 21, the Presbyterian United Nations Office joined diverse faith-based communities from around the world in co-sponsorship of an interfaith service on the day before the U.N. Summit on Climate Change. Joining in prayer and solidarity, the faith-based communities renewed their support of efforts to sustain the life of our planet. During the service, the Presbyterian U.N. Office and other faith partners called on leaders at the United Nations to renew their commitments to reverse the devastating impact of climate change on global well-being. The interfaith service offered a space for individuals to bear witness to the serious impact that climate change has had on their lives, their families and their future. Testimonies from Uganda, the Cook Islands and Nigeria offered clear evidence that our inaction could mean our own extinction. As the call to action concludes, “there’s more than an agreement at stake.” The very life and breath of our world depends on action that starts today.

In addition to the interfaith gathering, Caritas Internationalis and Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité (CIDSE) hosted a panel on “Reducing Vulnerability, Enhancing Resilience” in the fight against climate change. Case studies from India, Kenya and Guatemala illustrated the work that has been done in developing communities to adapt to climate change. The event also highlighted the urgent need for political action to face the increasing threat of climate change before adaptation is no longer an option.

On Tuesday, September 22, the Food and Hunger Working Group at the United Nations and the Presbyterian U.N. Office welcomed members of the faith-based and U.N. community for a panel event on food security and climate change. The panel explored a paradox of agricultural production: it is both a contributor to and a victim of climate change. The panel and audience engaged in important discussion about the links between climate change and the growing global hunger and poverty that have resulted from unsustainable agricultural practices and unequal access to food.

Efforts to raise the profile of climate change issues will continue in the months leading up to the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change held in December. The conference in Copenhagen will be instrumental in crafting new global policy before the global Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change expires in 2010 and will be the first gathering of international leaders on the issue since 1997. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other faith-based communities continue to be actively engaged in advocacy on climate change. To learn more about the Copenhagen conference and contribute to advocacy efforts, visit the Church World Service and Christian Aid campaign "Countdown to Copenhagen." Encourage President Obama to attend the conference by signing the Copenhagen pledge.

Visit the PC(U.S.A.) Environmental Ministries Web site to learn more about continued PC(U.S.A.) efforts to take action against Climate Change.

For more information, contact the Presbyterian United Nations Office at (212) 697-4568 or by email.