The moral imperative of climate action
Philip Freier and Thabo Cecil Makgoba
On Monday, the General Synod of the Church of England will likely
pass two motions calling for urgent and bold action against climate
change. The first urges all governments at the Paris Climate
Negotiations to take bold action by transitioning to a low-carbon future
and encourages the church to actively engage with the climate change
issue, and the second affirms the recent decision to disinvest from coal
and oil sands as a tactic to address the climate crisis.
As
Anglican leaders of Australia and South Africa – two countries that have
found themselves on the front lines of climate change – we celebrate
these important and timely calls for climate action, based on our moral
imperative to care for all of God's creation and the most vulnerable
among us.
Both Australia and South Africa are already experiencing
the negative impacts of rising global temperatures. Australia is one of
the highest per capita carbon emitters in the world – we've seen double
the amount of record hot days over the last 50 years, an increase in
the frequency and intensity of weather events, a rising sea level, and
further endangerment of our fragile coral reef and marine ecosystems.
The story is similar in South Africa, where temperatures have risen over
1.5 times the global average over the past half century and are
predicted to rise by 3-6 degrees Celcius in some areas by 2100.
Monday's
motions of the Church of England – together with Pope Francis' ecology
encyclical and many other faith voices – serve as a reminder that we
have a moral responsibility to act on climate change. This message
reminds us all that climate change is about more than the political and
economic debate that all too often dominates the headlines. Climate
change is first and foremost a social and moral concern.
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God bestowed on us the gift of life, but with that comes the
obligation to be protectors of our earth, our environment, and our
fellow man. For the sake of humanity, we must take our role as stewards
of creation seriously, and we must act now to slow the causes of climate
change lest we leave an even bigger burden on future generations.
This
message comes at a critical and unprecedented moment in history. This
December, world political leaders will gather in Paris to sign a
universal agreement aimed at limiting global temperature rises well
below two degrees Celcius. As we look toward this historic summit, we
need our leaders to demonstrate their commitment to achieving a unified
and ambitious agreement that phases out fossil fuels and promotes
sustainable development worldwide.
We join the General Synod in
calling on the faithful to remind their leaders of the moral imperative
to act now in order to put the world on track towards slowing the
devastating impacts of climate change. We implore our leaders to take a
moment to reflect on how their personal beliefs instruct their actions
and moral compasses.
We have seen many countries make ambitious
commitments to reduce carbon emissions, and we expect more countries –
including Australia and South Africa – to announce their commitments in
the coming weeks and months. Momentum is indeed building as this year's
deadline for an agreement nears, but we must continue to pressure our
leaders to formalise these commitments as soon as possible in order to
ensure that we reach a strong, collaborative deal in Paris.
There
is no longer a question about what is causing climate change; science
clearly indicates that human activity is responsible for rising global
temperatures that are causing dangerous changes to rainfall patterns,
ecosystems, and sea levels.
All too often, the effects of these
changes are most acutely felt by vulnerable populations, who have done
the least to contribute to climate change. Australia's Pacific
neighbours are already badly affected, with Kiribati recently asking
that its people be moved to Fiji to escape rising sea levels.
God
commanded us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. These are our
neighbours, and we quite simply must stand with them. Indeed, we have
the capability – and an ethical obligation – to put an end to this
vicious and unjust cycle of climate injustice.
It is up to each
and every one of us to protect the dignity of humanity from the
avoidable, but increasingly overwhelming effects of climate change. We
invite you to follow the call for climate justice, expressed in the
global campaign of ecumenical ACT Alliance and inspired by the World
Council of Churches' pilgrimage of justice and peace.
Never before
have we had a more vital yet opportune moment to take decisive action
on one of the most important issues of our time. Momentum for action on
climate change continues to grow. We pray that the moral call from the
General Synod and other faith voices serves as inspiration to all of us,
but especially to our leaders, who have the power to enact real,
universal change. With this power comes a moral responsibility to do
what is right for the future of this earth and mankind.
Archbishop
Dr Philip Freier is the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Primate of
Australia. He has been a strong advocate for moral responsibility over
climate change.
Archbishop Dr Thabo Cecil
Makgoba is the Archbishop of Anglican Church of South Africa and the
Primate of Southern Africa. He is also the Global Climate Justice
Ambassador for ACT Now for Climate Justice, a Climate Justice campaign
run by ACT Alliance.
