In an important development ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (6-17 November) in Bonn, Germany, Anglican archbishops around the world have called on the international community to turn the Paris Climate Change Agreement into stronger action to fight climate change.

In an open letter to global leaders, the five archbishops have drawn attention to the significant threat posed by climate change, expressing their concerns over its impact on vulnerable communities worldwide.

Branding climate change the “challenge of our generation”, the letter urges global leaders to “set targets for the world to reduce our greenhouses gas emission fast enough to limit global warming to the safe level of 1.5 degrees.”

Musicians John Mark McMillan, Nicole Nordeman, and many other Christian leaders have also joined forces with the archbishops in their call to keep the promises the governments made in the Paris Agreement in order to restore the natural balance.

The letter also makes an appeal to “invest in 100% clean energy, particularly using local grids so it reaches those in poverty beyond the reach of national electricity grids.”

The text of the letter can be found below:

To world leaders:

As Christians across the globe we are calling for action on climate change. The changing climate is causing great damage to people and planet right now, and we are particularly concerned about hunger and poverty hitting the most vulnerable communities, who did least to cause it.

We urge each nation’s leaders to keep the promises they made in the Paris Agreement, to restore the natural balance.

Please use the COP23 global climate talks in Bonn, Germany this November, for each country to make significant progress to:

• Set targets for the world to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to limit global warming to the safe level of 1.5 degrees.
• Invest in 100% clean energy, particularly using local grids so it reaches those in poverty beyond the reach of national electricity grids.
• Support more sustainable, low emission agriculture, to stop communities going hungry, and help them cope better with more floods and droughts caused by climate change.
• Publish national country plans in 2020 showing how each nation will move to zero emissions.

Please follow up at the COP24 climate talks in November 2018, in Poland.

This is our generation’s challenge, a significant part of how we love our neighbors.

We’re committing to respond as Christians by living more sustainably, praying, and raising our voices; we’re asking every member of the church – the world’s largest network – to join in, alongside many others, and every national leader to lead the way.

Join us.

Photo credit: Pixabay