From 1st December 2014 world leaders will meet in Peru to discuss climate negotiations in what is a pivotal moment towards December 2015, when they will meet in Paris, France, and finalise their commitments.
At the Paris meeting leaders will sign a climate treaty and make commitments to reduce carbon emissions, finance the Green Climate Fund, and take other initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Light for Lima
An Advent Light for Lima prayer resource is available here. This has been created by Elizabeth Perry for Christian Concern for One World and provides a fantastic guide for your prayers and vigils.
Light for Lima will bring faith groups together in every region of the world as churches and other faith communities hold vigils lit by solar lamps and candles, and mark the climate discussions in Lima, Peru, calling on governments to take action to reduce climate emissions and help the most vulnerable as they respond to the effects of climate change.
You can take part and sign up at http://www.ourvoices.net/lima – look for a vigil that is already taking place in your town or city, or organise your own by gathering members of your local church to light candles and say a prayer for the meetings in Lima and the future of our planet. You will be joining a global movement is coming together to seek climate justice.
Do send your news and photos to anglicanalliance@aco.org or post them on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Pray and Fast for the Climate
As the discussions begin on Monday 1st December 2014, the Anglican Alliance and churches worldwide are also joining Pray and Fast for the Climate.
‘Pray and fast for the climate’ is a joint initiative from the network ‘Faith for the Climate’, whose members include A Rocha, Christian Aid, Christian Concern for One World, Climate Stewards, Commitment for Life, Hope for the Future, Operation Noah, Our Voices, Speak, Tearfund, The Baptist Union, The Church of England, The Methodist Church, and The United Reformed Church.
They said, “Anglican Communion churches are already involved in the ‘Fast for the Climate’ movement, started by Yeb Saño, the Philippine’s lead negotiator at the 2013 UN climate talks. Despairing both at the devastation of his country by Super Typhoon Haiyan and the slow progress made at the talks, Saño announced he would fast either until the end of the two week conference or until real progress was made. He has continued to fast on the first of every month, joined by people from around the world, including the Archbishop of Cape Town, the Rt Revd Thabo Makgoba, who is a ‘Fast for the Climate’ ambassador.”
“‘Pray and fast for the climate’ builds on this. It includes a commitment to prayer, as we are called to bring our concerns in prayer to the God who created and sustains the world. In Scripture we read of the holy city, a place visible from far away, shining with the glory of God and the light and hope of Christ. Our desire is for God’s Kingdom to be raised up in our world and for our prayers to help build a platform upon which right decisions will be made by politicians, leaders and negotiators, allowing people to hope, to live, to dream, and to shape a greener world.”
Anglican EcoCare Journal of Ecotheology
<p “p1”>The first ever issue of the Anglican EcoCare Journal of Ecotheology is available to download at www.perth.anglican.org/ecocare-journal. For those who want a printed version, they are available to buy from the Wollaston Education Centre for AUS$15+ postage and handling. Anglican EcoCare is a commission of the Anglican Church of Perth, Australia. The journal includes articles on topics as varied as climate change, the Church’s involvement in the global environment crisis, and sustainability and agriculture. <p “p1”>Revd Evan Pederick, who is on the Editorial Board for the journal, said, “Recalling Teilhard de Chardin’s “third nature” of Christ as the midpoint of creation, we believe the contemporary Church is called to nothing less than the articulation of – and conversion to – an embodied spirituality that understands the meaning of human life and salvation within the context of the living systems of the Earth.” <p “p1”>The journal is a resource for those seeking further understanding of the Church’s role in caring for the environment and in taking action on climate change.
In the picture: Mark climate negotiations with Our Voices using Elizabeth Perry’s Light for Lima prayer guide.
