wfn.org | WCC to address COP3

[Sheila MESA <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Release
For Immediate Use
9 December 1997

WCC TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT

In the final phase of the UN Climate Change Summit in Kyoto, the World
Council of Churches (WCC) will address the "High Level Segment" at
which senior representatives of governments are present and speak.

The WCC's statement (text follows below) is due to be made on
Tuesday, 9 December by Dr David Hallman, Climate Change Programme
Coordinator for the WCC. Dr Hallman can be contacted on a mobile phone
number until 5 pm local time Wednesday, 10 December (in Japan
02.03.02.15.18; from abroad +81.2.03.02.15.18). Wednesday evening on
+81.75.711.2115.  Dr Hallman leaves Japan on Thursday morning and will
be back in his Canada office on Friday; Telephone: +1.416.231.5931;
Voice Mail: +1.416.231.7680 ext. 5051; E-mail: dhallman@web.net.

Text of Dr Hallman's address:

"We recognise that the COP3 negotiations are at a difficult point.  We
make this statement on behalf of the World Council of Churches with a
combination of humility and prayer, wanting to assist the process and yet
needing to speak the truth as we discern it.

For us in the World Council of Churches, the core of the COP3 agenda is
justice.

Justice means being held responsible for one's actions.
- The rich of the world, through promotion of the current economic model,
have been and continue to be responsible for the vast majority of
emissions causing human-produced climate change but seem unwilling to
honestly acknowledge that responsibility and translate it into action.  It is
ironic that countries which exult in their domestic legal principles feel
themselves above the law when it comes to their international obligations
on climate change.

Justice means being held accountable for promises you make.
- The rich of the world have broken their Rio promise to stabilise
emissions by 2000 at 1990 levels and yet seem to exhibit no
embarrassment at their failure.

Justice means being held responsible for the suffering you cause to
others.
- Small island states, millions of environmental refugees, and future
generations will suffer as a result of the callous exploitation of the
Earth's resources by the rich.
	
Justice means being held accountable for abuse of power.
- Human societies, particularly in the over-developed countries, are
damaging the environment through climate change with little respect for
the inherent worth of other species which we believe to be loved by
God as are we.

Justice means an equitable sharing of the Earth's resources.
- Millions of people lack the necessities for a decent quality of life.  It is
the height of arrogance to propose that restrictive commitments be
placed on the poor to make up for the delinquencies of the rich. 
Over-consumption of the rich and poverty of the poor must both be
eliminated to ensure quality of life for all.

Justice demands truth.
- Destructive misinformation campaigns are being used by groups with
powerful economic self-interest with the intention of preventing
meaningful action on climate change.

Justice requires honesty.
- The world is not so easily divided into the rich North and the poor South
as we used to think.  There are a few wealthy and powerful countries
and elites within the category referred to as developing countries who
sometimes misuse this classification of nations to disguise their economic
self-interest.

God's justice is strict but it is not cruel.  We are all here in Kyoto as
brothers and sisters equal before God within the community of creation -
a creation which we all want to be healthy and thriving for future
generations.  In affirmation of the goodness of creation (Genesis 1:25),
God beckons us to respect all forms of life.  In what we do at COP3, we
must not betray life.

Confidence-building measures are needed so that together we can
reduce the threat of climate change:

- Industrialised countries must demonstrate, in the near future, real and
significant reductions in domestic greenhouse gas emissions which
many studies have shown to be possible with a considerable net benefit
to their economies.

- Though developing countries should not be subject to formal emission
limitation commitments yet, many of them are pursuing measures and can
continue their efforts to become more energy-efficient and to limit
greenhouse gas emissions.

- The sharing of finance and technological resources is needed but it is
also very important to exchange experiences from both South and North
including those of indigenous cultures, women's organisations and
others which can offer lessons and tools for learning to live in a socially
just, equitable and ecologically sustainable manner.

In these remaining days of COP3, let us shift our energies away from
trying to figure out how to attain the minimum and channel them instead
toward creative risk-taking options for accomplishing the maximum. 
Thank you."

**********
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 330, in
more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions.  The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but
works cooperatively with the WCC.  The highest governing body is the
Assembly, which meets approximately every seven years.  The WCC
was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Its staff is
headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church
in Germany.

World Council of Churches
Press and Information Office
Tel:  (41.22) 791.61.52/51
Fax:  (41.22) 798 13 46
E-Mail: jwn@wcc-coe.org
http://www.wcc-coe.org

P.O. Box 2100
CH-1211 Geneva 2