COP28 Wrap Up - Outcomes
What happened, what's next. COP28 and people of faith.
COP28 closed with #LaterIsTooLate ringing in our ears. This hashtag became a last-days rallying cry to insist on a global agreement to phase out fossil fuels.
Unfortunately, COP ended without a ‘phase out’ agreement. Instead, the agreement promises a ‘transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.’ This is important language in its own right. Yet, the reality is that without real agreement and accountability to phase out fossil fuels—and as quickly as possible—keeping planetary warming under 1.5C is likely out of reach.
There is still a lot of work to do.
It’s important to know that good things happened at COP, also. A lot of good things. And the faith community was not on the sidelines. People of faith stood with others in the midst of the process to address the climate crisis, actively engaging the need for action on behalf of the planet, justice, and ecological and human rights. People of faith showed up with prayers, programs, speakers, and insistence that we do a lot more.
See the previous two articles on COP28, beginning basics and mid-way updates.
News and More
Below find links to news from the first-ever Faith Pavilion in the wrap-up. Find also essential general links to get a better sense of what outcomes are the most hopeful, and what can (and must) happen from here.
Overall wrap-up. A look at COP28 from Texas Impact / Texas Interfaith Power and Light, who was part of a coalition of faith groups on the ground and reporting on what happened. Final Stocktake Text Leads to Cheers, Concerns. A look at what happened including some big positives, from Carbon Brief COP28: Key outcomes for food, forests, land and nature at the UN climate talks in Dubai.
A Call to Next Steps. From Religion Media Centre, Cop28 failings is not how the story ends. People of faith must redouble efforts to halt climate change
The Catholic Voice on Outcomes. From The Tablet, an assessment of the final agreement, especially what is missing, COP28 agreement provides ‘signal’ but not funds, says Cafod. Links in the article take you to previous reporting from The Tablet with the role of Christian demands for action, and the need for funding. From The Crux, regarding how it went? Catholics say COP28 climate change deal ‘encouraging’ but ‘not fast enough’.
Global Agreements and Indigenous People. From IndieWire, the local impact of climate change. From the ashes of my father’s house: A memoir from COP28. nupqu ʔak·ǂam̓ Troy Sebastian reflects on a year of loss and damage during a trip to Dubai for the UN’s climate conference. A clear-eyed action cry and summary of that happened in Dubai, from NDN Indigenous Collective, COP28: NDN Collective Responds to Outcomes of Negotiations.
Faith as Part of the Solution
The Faith Pavilion at COP28 created important space for reflection, and those who did not claim a faith tradition none-the-less were moved by the fact that people of faith were not only showing up, put creating important prayerful community spaces. There are some articles about this in the mid-way article. Adding here:
Faith Influence, Hope and a Consensus to ACT - From Euro News, a reflection from global religious leaders on the Faith Pavilion, religious views, and outcomes of COP, At COP28, spirituality and faith showed they could be a beacon of hope. In general, the importance of faith voices continued to show up at COP. From ZAWYA, Collective commitment is essential to work towards environmental conservation: India's Minister of Environment.
Directed Call and Conversation for Justice. And from Modern Diplomacy, Sacred Stewardship: The Moral Imperative of Religious Leaders in Climate Advocacy. And from Episcopal News Service, Episcopal, religious leaders participate in Global Refugee Forum. From World Council of Churches, As COP28 concludes, WCC general secretary urges: “we, as people of faith, must continue to nurture hope”
Voices for Human Rights & Just Transition
While there was only one Faith Pavilion, people of faith—as they have ever been—number in the billions, of every tradition and from every corner of the globe. Their concerns center on peace, hope, human rights, environmental stewardship, and those values reverberated through COP28 inside and outside of the faith context.
The Just Transition Pavilion hosted many conversations, especially with nations and organizations from the global south, and Indigenous people world wide. It is important to understand that a ‘Just Transition isn’t just about jobs. It is about access to life itself, clean water, clean air, healthy food, and a safe place to live. Those who are eager to ‘electrify everything,’ must recognize that a transition that destroys one part of the earth to bring ‘clean’ energy to another is not just. All should benefit from a global restoration.
Human Rights. The faith voice brought teachings of faith to the fore, including addressing human rights. From Ecumenical News, Religious leaders uniting on climate in solidarity with refugees, boost UN conference.
Fair Funding for Clean Energy. An aspect too that must be considered is a transition where wind and solar and other clean energy systems are built to benefit the globe more widely. This means funding, and a shared burden of funding especially for nations who are the least to blame for the problem, and have seen fossil fuel projects imposed on them over the last 70 years. From Fair Planet, Philippine Environmentalists Refuse to be Sidelined at COP28
Loss and Damage. A mixed outcome here as well, while many heralded a Loss and Damage agreement going into COP, funding again was not agreed in the amounts necessary to address relief. Losses are not just about buildings, either. But people who must flee lose connection to their land, neighbor, and cultural praticess and customs. This is damage, too. From ReliefWeb, Unheard, Uncharted: A holistic vision for addressing ‘non-economic’ loss and damage.
Loss and Damage in the American South. American voices of faith tackling environmental justice, and the loss, damage, and systemic injustices that are ingrained in climate crisis. From Inside Climate News. Q&A: Catherine Coleman Flowers Talks COP28, Rural Alabama, and the Path Toward a ‘Just Transition.’ From the Deep South to Dubai and back, Flowers has brought rural issues to the global stage.
Finance solutions. To meet the financial challenges facing those who work for justice, and in the face of lack of funding from those who cause the most emissions, many others are stepping up. From Yahoo Finance, HBCU Green Fund Delegation to COP28, Led by Climate Advocate Felicia Davis, Champions Global Climate Action at UN Summit in Dubai
Many Faithful Still Missing
US Christians Missing from the Action. The moral perspective and a mood of conscience has been present in reporting and reflection for COP. The experience prompted a reflection from a first time attender who offers many American Christians something to think about. From Christianity Today, Creation Waits in Eager Expectation… for American Christians to take climate change seriously. At the COP28 climate summit, fellow Christians wait too.
While a number of faithful people across the US are still missing from the work of addressing the climate crisis and injustices that rise from it, others are taking inspiration from the conviction and action of the people of faith who are stepping up.
Widening the Moral Reach. Reading though the many efforts and concerns rising from and addressed at COP, the growing faith participation gave gravitas and place to the moral voice, not only in the faith pavilion, but across the board in addressing necessary cause to act. From Japan Times, and speaking to the situation of Pacific States such as Tuvalu, COP28, didn't the oceans deserve more attention?
Engagement Matters
Read the Interfaith Statement delivered to the Presider and people of COP28, find the full text here (pdf.) And interfaith statements are not just for the big enterprises! Many local groups around the world published statements as well, including including members of the Inter-Faith Environment Forum in Norfolk Diocese, UK.
Because Climate is about Creation. From the Reformed Journal, a reflection of COP28 outcomes, present realities, including the fact that burning fossil fuels is incompatible with creation care, and the need for Transitioning Away.
The Imperative of Our Global Youth. Speaking directly to youth engagement, from Religion News Service and SGI Office for UN Affairs (press release) Soka Gakkai International promotes meaningful youth engagement at COP28. The press release includes mention of the first ever Youth Stocktake and includes voices from members of YOUNGO, a youth-centered UN COP network.
Photos
One final resource to offer. The UNFCCC has a flickr account! The account is called UN Climate Change and its albums include hundreds of COP28 photos as well as photos from other conferences posted with Creative Commons licensing. I haven’t had a chance to look through them all, but here are a few photos that popped out while I was scrolling: Stop Colonialism; Licypriya Kangujam; Community support; End the Fossil Fuel Era; No Farmers, No Food; Missing & Murdered Indigenous Peoples; Health Crisis; Creation is Not For Sale; Human Rights; and Equity in Finance and Renewables.
Many blessings to you all! Prayers up for the next steps we will all take together.
Richenda
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Just to say… my updates are not endorsements, and links are usually third party. Please make your own determinations. My goal here is to amplify the conversation and encourage engagement, learning, and resilience. And of course, to bless your efforts!