Food, water, climate justice a moral imperative

Prof. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, spoke of how mitigation leads to sustainability. “Sustainable management of the aquatic ecosystem needs to get its due priority,” he said. “Our mitigation and adaptation strategies must get integrated into food and water system reformations, within a hydrological framework.”

Archbishop Julio Murray, diocesan bishop of the Anglican Episcopal Diocese of Panama, spoke about faith communities’ role in climate action.

Murray, newly appointed moderator of the WCC Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development, talked about reimagining hope, working for justice, and being the voice of the vulnerable community impacted by climate change.

He highlighted various good practices of the Anglican communion’s climate action, including a divestment policy.

He also highlighted some climate action examples from the World Council of Churches, including the WCC’s fossil fuel divestment policy and commitment as a Blue Community.

Jocabed Solano, from the Gunadule nation, an Indigenous community in Panama, emphasized that “seed banks” were an Indigenous practice much before they became a practice in the food systems of the United Nations. She challenged participants: “Do not forget where you come from – that is nature!”

Nicholas Pande, environmental policy lead at the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations, highlighted other good practices of the Anglican communion to combat climate change.

In Kenya, the Anglican communion has helped farmers facing successive seasons of crop failure from four seasons of drought. The communion also also promotes climate information and empowers farmers with timely weather forecasting to make their agriculture climate resilient.