Jesuits Express Concern on Advocacy for Climate Change as Covid19 Causes COP26 Postponement to 2021
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
Leaders of the Society of Jesus, popularly known as the Jesuits, have raised concern on the need to pay attention to climate change crisis affecting the world even amidst Covid-19 pandemic which equally calls for urgent attention.
In a letter released on Thursday, November 19 and addressed to the President of the African Union, the President of the Council of the European Union and the President of the European Commission, the Jesuits leadership noted that the postponement of the 26th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference dubbed as COP26 which was slated for 9-19, November 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland will divert governments’ attention from care of environment.
“We are concerned that the absence of this conference in 2020, which was to be the first “global stock-take” of the progress of state parties towards their commitments under the Paris Agreement, will lure governments into diverting attention and resources away from climate change towards the immediate needs of addressing the ongoing global pandemic,” reads in part the letter signed by the President of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM), Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, and Fr. Franck Janin, the President of Xavier Network.
The postponement of COP26 to November 2021, was “on account of the on-going Covid-19 pandemic which is again resurging across much of the globe.”
“While we are mindful that Covid-19 remains a danger to the peoples of the world, not least in Africa and Europe, we want to take this opportunity to reiterate that climate change is no less of a crisis for our respective continents. We are mindful of Pope Francis’s admonition in his 2015 encyclical on care for our common home Laudato Si’, “Everything is connected,” they disclosed in the letter sent to AMECEA online Thursday 19.
According to the Jesuits, the global pandemic is not only exacerbating the climate crisis, but the social and economic harms that Covid-19 has unleashed have pushed back progress in efforts to eradicate poverty and encourage sustainable development.
Addressing the AU and EU, the Jesuit leadership asks them to continue making action on climate change a priority for Africa and Europe on both national and international levels, and to take tangible steps to combating climate change.
In another letter signed by the British Provincial Fr. Damian Howard and addressed to the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the host of COP26, the Jesuit leadership noted that “his role should be in setting the global agenda on climate change in the coming year.”
“Regarding the global consequences arising from postponing COP26, you, being the host in 2021, will maintain a major influence over the course of the next year in making sure that the world’s attention remains focused on climate change,” they insisted to the Prime Minister.
“In fact, this additional year before the Conference provides you with a unique opportunity among world leaders to be the advocate for sustained action on climate change,” reads the letter adding, “We encourage you to exercise that role as global advocate for climate change.”
“We call on you, Prime Minister, as host of COP26 to make certain that climate change remains on the top of the world’s agenda even if Covid-19 has caused us to postpone the conference to 2021,” the Religious leaders noted and concluded, “The pandemic has exacerbated the problems we face and made the challenges of yesterday that much more difficult to address tomorrow. Climate change desperately needs a strong advocate over the coming year. As host of COP 26, we believe that you are uniquely suited to be that advocate.”
