wfn.org | WCC NEWS: Climate change: keep pushing for a fair deal, WCC invites ecumenical family

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

>World Council of Churches - News release
>For immediate release: 26 February 2010
>Contact: + 41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363

WCC CALLS ON CHURCHES TO "RENEW EFFORTS" FOR A FAIR CLIMATE DEAL

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called on the whole ecumenical  family to keep pushing the international community for a "fair, ambitious  and binding agreement" on climate change, in view of the UN climate summit  to take place in Mexico in December.

The United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen failed to "reach the  expectations of the ecumenical movement and the larger civil society", the  WCC executive committee said in a minute issued at the end of its 23-26  February meeting in Bossey, near Geneva, Switzerland.

"Disappointed with the outcome" of the talks in Copenhagen, the WCC  executive committee has outlined a proposal of continued collaboration  amongst ecumenical partners towards the next conference of parties to the  UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Mexico (COP16).

The WCC member churches, as well as specialized ministries and other  ecumenical partners were encouraged "to strengthen further their commitment  and to foster their cooperation with regard to climate change, especially  in the process towards and at COP 16 in Mexico".

According to the WCC executive committee, a fair climate deal should  include "the recognition of the historic responsibility for the CO2  [carbon dioxide] emissions of industrialized countries, a measurable  commitment to have a maximum of 350 ppm [parts per million] of CO2 in the  atmosphere, concrete ways of adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer  and funding".

The churches are concerned about climate because of its "life-threatening  effects, especially on the poor and vulnerable communities in many parts  of the world, such as the low-lying islands of the Pacific or the Great  Lakes and Horn of Africa region", the WCC minute says.

Full text of the WCC executive committee minute on UNFCCC Conference of  Parties - COP 15 in Copenhagen
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/executive-committee/bossey- february-2010/minute-on-unfccc-conference-of-parties-cop-15-in-copenhagen.h tml

WCC work on climate change

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/events-sections/countdown-to-climate-justice.ht ml

WCC activities in Copenhagen

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/events-sections/countdown-to-climate-justice/wc c-in-copenhagen.html

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness  and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of  churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant,  Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million  Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman  Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit,  from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.