Paris agreement: “Don’t water it down”
A woman nurses her child in the shade of a tree trunk in Lalibela, Ethiopia. Photo: Magnus Aronsson/ Church of Sweden
LWF calls for robust implementation of Paris Climate agreement
(LWI) - On the occasion of the UN climate change conference currently taking place in Bonn, Germany, The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has issued a statement calling governments to work towards “an ambitious rulebook” for the implementation of the Paris Climate agreement, and to churches and civil society actors to hold their governments accountable towards that goal.
“An ambitious rulebook” would offer a strong framework for action, allowing for an effective and just implementation of the Agreement,” the statement reads, observing that negotiations and implementation have, so far, failed to meet the agreed goals.
Among others, there is a “weakened commitment” by developed nations to fund measures to mitigate the effects of climate change in the affected countries, the statement continues, affirming that climate change is an issue of justice, whose effects are felt by those most vulnerable.
“I urge governments around the table in Bonn to preserve the integrity of the Paris Agreement and come up with an ambitious and transparent implementation plan. This not a time to compromise what was achieved at COP21 in Paris. Don’t water it down,” says Rev. Dr Martin Junge, LWF General Secretary.
Climate change represents a challenge of enormous proportions with concrete impacts felt everywhere, but hitting disproportionally those who are often the least responsible for it, first and foremost the poor. This is why for The Lutheran World Federation climate change is an issue of justice.
The statement ends with a call to action, where the LWF:
- Urges governments around the table in Bonn to preserve the integrity of the Paris Agreement and make progress towards the adoption of an ambitious and robust “rulebook” at COP24.
- Calls upon its member churches, civil society groups, and individual citizens to continue mounting pressure on their respective governments to play a constructive and solution-oriented role at the negotiation tables towards a strong Paris Agreement rulebook.
- Commits to continue addressing climate change, drawing from its faith conviction that ‘creation is not for sale’ (LWF Twelfth Assembly, 2017).
"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters." (Psalm 24)
