The Cathedral in Copenhagen will host an ecumenical service
By Kathy Brown and Christine Campeau
Caritas staff has been working hard on the preparations for Copenhagen. For weeks they have been organizing events, reviewing policy papers, and assisting people attending from all over the world. Here is a brief summary of activities being planned for Copenhagen.
In preparation for the upcoming negotiations in Copenhagen, Caritas has plugged into the Geneva UN circles and has good access to the UN delegates, especially members of the G77 (group of developing countries9. Also, Caritas is participating in a joint-briefing for Member States on the humanitarian implications of climate change. This OCHA (the UN’s humanitarian coordination agency) led event will be held at the UN in one week’s time in order to stress the importance of these issues before delegates pack their bags for Copenhagen.
In Copenhagen, the Caritas delegation will consist of over 65 Caritas staff coming from more then 25 countries. It also will include Bolivian and Bangladeshi delegates from our members and bishops and archbishops from Africa, Uganda, Mexico, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Denmark. Caritas will be engaging in several activities – such as lobby dinners, a coordinated bell ringing action, demonstrations, signature hand-overs, Masses and ecumenical celebrations.
Our Caritas side event will be entitled “Renew the face of Earth” and will discuss faith-based approaches to climate justice. During this event, Caritas will join with the World Council of Churches to highlight ethical principles and the voices of faith as we engage in climate change negotiations. This session will examine various faith-based perspectives on policies and action promoting climate justice. This side event also will be sponsored with CIDSE.
In view of the upcoming Copenhagen climate summit in December, our Climate Justice: Seeking a new global ethic urges governments to adopt an effective legal binding agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and increase aid for poor countries so they can adapt to harsher climatic conditions. The report also emphasizes that financial support for green technologies and green processes is critical for the sustainable development of poor countries. Beyond Copenhagen, the report looks for seismic shifts in daily lifestyle patterns that will be central to combating climate change.
However, following two years of very slow progress, the promise made in Bali to put together a fair, ambitious and binding deal in Copenhagen is in a relative deadlock. The mistrust between member parties has created an environment where all parties are waiting for one another to move before they do. Obligations for secure and predictable financial and technical assistance to developing countries have not being met and continue to be an area of contention. Developed countries are putting pressure on advanced developing countries to reduce their projected emissions over the next decade by 15-30%.
