Over 70,000 people will shortly descend on the city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for the COP28 conference which begins on 30 November. Those travelling will include presidents and prime ministers, government officials, business executives, non-governmental organisations’ experts and activists. The list of notable absentees will include the American and Chinese leaders, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping.
It is in this context that some heads have turned at the fact that Pope Francis will attend COP28 and address delegates, making it the first time a Pontiff visits an UN climate conference. Despite this, it should be of no surprise to those who accompany the words and actions of the Pope that he has taken this unprecedented step.
Indeed, already in 2015, during the months leading up to the COP21 conference in Paris, Francis released Laudato Si’. In another pontifical first, this encyclical was addressed not just to Catholics but to “every person living on this planet” and was released with a hope of creating a momentum of dialogue and collaboration between world leaders ahead of COP21.
COP21 was considered a success because the Paris Agreement was ratified there, when 196 countries set out the long-term goal of keeping global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and working to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Fast forward to COP28, the Pope has released another document ahead of the conference. Laudate Deum follows up the progress in the years since 2015; “we have fallen short of the commitments we made in the Paris Agreement, and the consequences of this inaction are already being felt around the world.”
The language in Laudate Deum is straightforward and addresses what is needed at COP28 with Francis directly referencing the conference: “COP28 must be a moment of transformation, a turning point in our collective response to the climate crisis. It is time for concrete action, not just words and promises.”
These calls ahead of COP28 cannot be avoided and put a moral pressure on the conference to make a difference. This is more important than ever in the wake of the last UNFCCC (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) Synthesis report which records that current emissions reduction commitments are not enough to keep global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, let alone 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Together with other European Jesuit institutions and the European Network of Eco-Delegates, we, at the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC), have taken this call to embrace COP28 seriously and to help people to get involved. In order to bring the conference to peoples’ homes, we have launched a COP28@Home campaign, with Jesuit Missions in London and the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Dublin.
First and foremost, we invite all of those who have been inspired by Pope Frances’s message to be informed on the conference and its history, thus we have created a Guide to COP to get started. Secondly, we encourage followers to act by writing to their local political representatives and be involved in a participative process surrounding the COP. A handy template letter has been produced for this purpose. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, we invite people to pray for the success of the conference, and a thought provoking prayer guide has been put together by two young Jesuits, Xavier de Bénazé SJ and Fabian Moos SJ, who are passionate about climate justice. You can read more about this, and sign up to our daily e-bulletin which will run though the conference in the webpage jesc.eu/cop28athome.
Pope Francis remarks that “each new generation must take up the struggles and attainments of past generations, while setting its sights even higher. This is the path.” This is a call particularly aimed at young people, who in the context of environmental injustice, have an opportunity to ‘right the wrongs of history’. It is for this reason that students and young people are particularly invited to take part in COP28 and add their voices to calls for climate justice.
Finally it’s worth mentioning that the Jesuits are comprehensive in their support for the Pope and his emphasis on COP28. Over 100 signatories from Jesuit leaders, associated lay people and Ignatian institutions have signed a common statement, that you can read in the webpage climatejustice.ecojesuit.com, with a strong call to climate justice at COP28. Those are words that accompany much work already being done by many worldwide, on behalf of a justice which focuses primarily on the poorest in society, namely those who are most affected by the effects of climate change.
