At COP29, the World Council of Churches’s key message calls for developed nations to drastically reduce fossil fuel emissions. It also stresses the urgency of increased climate finance to assist communities facing the burden of climate impacts, particularly those with fewer resources to adapt.
The World Council of Churches also urges global leaders to address the profound non-economic impacts of climate change, such as cultural loss and trauma, that disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples and other vulnerable communities.
“The impacts of climate change extend beyond physical damage; they touch the very heart of communities, eroding cultural heritage and spiritual identity, particularly for Indigenous peoples,” said Athena Peralta, director of the World Council of Churches Commission on Climate Justice and Sustainable Development. “Climate finance frameworks must consider these intangible losses, respecting and protecting Indigenous knowledge as vital to resilient climate solutions.”
The World Council of Churches delegation, composed of representatives from diverse regions, is working closely with faith-based and civil society partners, including the ACT Alliance, Lutheran World Federation, and Interfaith Liaison Committee to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which the World Council of Churches co-chairs. Through ecumenical and interfaith engagement, they aim to amplify a collective call for effective and just climate action, seeking to ensure that COP29 advances commitments grounded in equity, accountability, and compassion.
On the streets of New York, some 60,000 young people called upon their government officials, churches, and all the adults in their lives to not just say the right words, but begin a transformation in their daily lives. For WCC representatives, along with those from the Lutheran World Federation, ACT Alliance, and other faith-based groups, the march was an affirmation of ongoing work toward climate justice. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC
Tags: drastically reduce fossil fuel emissions, ecumenical and interfaith engagement, justice-driven climate action at COP29, Walk for Climate Justice New York, World Council of Churches
