Climate justice

Climate justice

Creation – Not for Sale

The LWF sees care for creation as a core calling and recognizes climate change as a matter of justice and human rights. LWF’s advocacy for climate justice focuses on the protection of the most vulnerable from the impacts of climate change and holding governments accountable to their climate commitments, intergenerational justice, and interfaith collaboration.

Since the 1970s, the LWF has raised a prophetic voice regarding the ecological and climate crisis through resolutions, statements, and action.

Following the call to advocate for climate justice, member churches and World Service programs have put concrete climate action into place across the communion.

Since 2011 when the UN Climate Change Conference COP17 took place in Durban, South Africa, the LWF has sent delegations to these high-level meetings. Here, young people from the Lutheran communion have been at the forefront of LWF’s engagement and critical advocates for climate justice.

Action for Justice Forum for Climate Justice

The Action for Justice Forum for Climate Justice is the space to convene LWF constituencies for joint discussions, strategizing, and engagement on policy, advocacy, and programmatic work. The forum includes member churches and, where appropriate, country programs and other relevant stakeholders. They work together to support advocacy at national, regional, and global levels to seek constructive ways to attain climate justice and creation care.

The objectives of the Action for Justice Forum for Climate Justice are to 

  • Facilitate sharing and mutual learning among relevant stakeholders within and outside of the LWF
  • Provide a platform for mutual exchange, dialogue, learning, and shared understanding among LWF member churches and country programs
  • Provide a platform for joint LWF advocacy campaigns and projects
  • Provide a forum to convene LWF member churches, country programs, relevant regional or national institutions, inter-governmental and governmental actors, academic institutions, ecumenical and faith-based organizations, civil society actors to analyze contexts, and mapping needs to plan for Action for Justice themes strategically
  • Promote interactive and long-term partnership for advocacy among LWF member churches, country programs, and relevant stakeholders

Related Campaigns

“The Lutheran World Federation ... furthers worldwide among the member churches diaconic action, alleviation of human need, promotion of peace and human rights, social and economic justice, care for God’s creation and sharing of resources.”

– LWF’s constitution

COP Delegations

LWF Assembly and Council Resolutions and Public Statements

LWF logo Hand element

2018 – LWF Public Statement for UN climate change conference in Bonn, Germany

2017 – Resolution on Climate Change, Twelfth LWF Assembly in Windhoek, Namibia

2015 – Public Statement on Advocacy and Action for Climate Change, LWF Council meeting, Geneva

2014 – Public Statement on Climate Justice: “Fasting for the climate - A Lutheran Perspective”, LWF Council meeting, Medan Indonesia

2013 – Recall past Public Statement and Resolutions, LWF Council meeting in Geneva

2012 – Resolution on Rio+20, LWF Council meeting in Bogota, Colombia

2010 – Resolution on Climate Change, LWF Assembly in Stuttgart, Germany

2009 – Measures to reiterate the call from the 2008 Council meeting LWF Council meeting, Geneva

2008 – Resolution on Climate Change: “Melting snow on Mount Kilimanjaro: a witness of a suffering creation” LWF Council meeting, Arusha, Tanzania

2007 – Explore possibilities for theological, spiritual, and ethical reflection on urgent environmental challenges, LWF Council meeting, Geneva

2004 – Statement on LWF’s commitment to preserve the integrity of creation

2003 – Proposal for LWF to initiate environmental actions relating to climate change and call on all countries to sign the Kyoto Protocol. Ninth LWF Assembly in Winnipeg, Canada

1995 – Program Committee for World Service informs on development of a policy on environment, LWF Council meeting, Namibia

1992 – Message to the churches: “Crisis in Environment and Development” following Earth Summit, LWF Council meeting, Madras

1991 – Affirm the participation of the LWF in the preparations for the Brazil 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development LWF Council meeting, Chicago

1990 – Commitment to support the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil and popular ecological movements in their endeavor to defend the Amazon, Eighth LWF Assembly in Hong Kong, China

1984 – Statement on caring for God’s endangered creation, Seventh LWF Assembly in Budapest, Hungary

1977 – Recommendation on Environment and Global Stewardship, Sixth LWF Assembly in Dar El Salaam, Tanzania

2010's Publications

  • Creation - Not for Sale ( EN | DE | ES | FR | Estonian )
  • Fasting for Climate Justice - A Lutheran Perspective ( EN | DE | ES | FR )
  • Climate Hero - The Climate Justice Game of the Lutheran World Federation Youth
  • LWF together green and just ( EN )
  • LWF together the Earth needs you ( EN | DE | ES | FR | BA )

2000's Publications

  • Good Creation and Climate Change - A resource for reflection and discussion ( EN )
  • Good Creation and Climate Change - Spiritual and Ethical Perspectives ( EN )
  • Climate Change: Facing our Vulnerability ( EN | DE ) -
  • LWI#5 - Special: Climate Change from the Lutheran World Information PDF edition - 2008
  • Youth Toolkit on Climate Change ( EN )
  • Guiding Principles for Sustainable Development ( EN | DE | ES | FR )

1990's Publications

  • Environmental Guidelines
  • Concern for Creation - Voices on the Theology of Creation ( EN )
  • The liberation of creation and the myth of unlimited growth ( EN | DE )