WCC NEWS: Threats to creation addressed at peace convocation

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World Council of Churches - News

THREATS TO CREATION ADDRESSED AT PEACE CONVOCATION

For immediate release: 20 May 2011

Tuvalu, a Polynesian island nation in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii
and Australia, is home to more than 11,000 people, whose very existence,
which at one time was tied to the ocean and its bounty, is now threatened
by rising ocean water levels.

The world's fourth-smallest country – at 26 square kilometers – is
shrinking, and the people of Tuvalu are facing a future as environmental
refugees. The injustice in this situation – and others like it worldwide
– were at the heart of discussions at the International Ecumenical Peace
Convocation (IEPC) on Friday, when the daily theme was “Peace With the
Earth.”

The Rev. Tafue M. Lasama, general secretary of the Congregational Christian
Church of Tuvalu, said his country is now facing longer droughts, and that
saltwater has intruded into the underground water table. “Now we depend
on rainwater only, and we are facing unpredictable weather patterns.”

A once-sustainable existence is now endangered by forces beyond Tuvalu's
control, Lasama said. “The people are not able to use their traditional
skills in order to survive.”

The cause of the rising waters around Tuvalu rests far from this south
Pacific paradise, finding its roots in the industrial heartlands of the
northern hemisphere. It is here from which the greatest contribution to
climate change is being made and the greatest challenge rests for
reversing its negative impact.

Arian Shaw, a project officer for the Church and Society Team of the
Church of Scotland, said churches worldwide must begin to lead the fight
against climate change.

“Climate change poses a serious and immediate threat,” he said. “Our
violence against the earth is also violence against people.”

For Lasama, the rising seawaters threatening Tuvalu mean the loss of home,
culture, lifestyle and dignity.  It no longer takes a war to cause this
level of violence.

Shaw described an “eco-congregation” movement that originated in
Scotland and is now beginning to spread worldwide. These congregations
pledge to become informed regarding their carbon footprint and take steps
to reduce it.

There are more than 270 eco-congregations in Scotland, Shaw said.


Not simply human issues


Prof. Dr Kondothra M. George also spoke of the relationship between justice
for humankind and justice for the earth. “Peace and justice are not
simply human issues to be debated and worked out in isolation,” he said,
but these issues should be discussed with the knowledge that there are
millions of created life forms on earth in addition to humans.

“We have to change our present paradigm of progress and development,”
said George. “Is this the greatest human achievement?”

The idea of human achievement is closely related to the malady of human
greed, pointed out Elias Crisostomo Abramides, a Greek Orthodox layman
(Ecumenical Patriarchate) from Argentina and also a WCC representative to
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat.

“Another world is possible,” he said. “This world of greed and pride
is not a world of the future. We need a change in paradigm, which will
bring peace, dignity and love to the lives of all human beings. To be at
peace with the earth, there must be peace in the earth.”

Other speakers described their vision of peace with the earth in a more
lyrical way. Sr Ernestina López Bac, a Kaqchiquel indigenous theologian
from Guatemala, spoke of a theology of ancestral ties.

“Talking about the cosmic vision and wisdom of the indigenous people
means to fundamentally talk about values,” she said. “We understand
value as the heart and energy of thinking and wisdom.”

As more and more of the fragile ecosystem surrounding Tuvalu falls victim
to warming waters and rising sea levels, the reality remains stark for
those of the industrial North. Reducing and renewing God’s creation is
no longer a luxury but an urgent task if places such as Tuvalu are to
survive.

During the next several days the IEPC will also explore peace in the
marketplace and peace among peoples. On the second day of the convocation,
the participants explored peace in the community. The convocation, which
is sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Caribbean Conference of
Churches and the Jamaica Council of Churches, concludes on 24 May.

For live video streaming of the plenaries visit the IEPC website:
www.overcomingviolence.org (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=2ceeec90983af072ab43 )

More information on the WCC and climate change:
www.oikoumene.org/climatechange (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=8182aea0c4b0e263ddb8 )

IEPC photo galleries (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=4d8b9246ff55ac81f385 )

IEPC videos (Link: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=5e364782d91f83cfd71d
)

High resolution photos of the event may be requested free of charge via
photos.oikoumene.org (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=57c97112b244e678044d )


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.



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