KENYA: Catholic Justice and Peace Department Joins Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
In a bid to respond to the global campaign to stop fossil fuel exploration and expansion and support a just transition to renewable energy, the executive arm of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) that is the Catholic Justice and Peace Department (CJPD) in collaboration with Laudato si movement-Africa, have joined the non-proliferation treaty aimed to address the urgent climate crisis.
In a co-signed statement by the Head of CJPD Mr. Eusebius Atamalo and Fossil Free Campaigner at Laudato Si’ Movement Ms. Ashley Kitisya, the decision to join fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty “aligns with the teachings of the Catholic Church on the care for our common home, as emphasized in Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’” published 2015.
The Head of CJPD and the Fossil Free Campaigner at Laudato Si’ Movement emphasize in the statement dated Wednesday, July 3, that the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty is “a vital step towards reducing carbon emissions, protecting vulnerable communities, and ensuring a sustainable future for all.”
The key concern in this global initiative is to push for “An end to new exploration and production of fossil fuels to prevent further aggravation of the climate crisis, for equitable and managed decline of existing fossil fuel production in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C. and for commitment to a just transition for workers, communities, and countries dependent on fossil fuels, ensuring that the transition to a clean energy economy is fair and inclusive.”
Expounding on their move to endorses the treaty, the CJPD notes that they are cognizant of the moral imperative to act decisively in the face of the climate emergency reaffirming their commitment to environmental stewardship and social justice.
Champions for the treaty points out that since fossil fuel contributes greatly to climate change which affects the poor, their aim is to be in solidarity with the most vulnerable members of the society. At the same time fossil fuels are toxic to the environment and destroy human life through the effects of their poisonous emissions to the air and water that humans consume, and this need to stop.
The endorsement of the treaty they say in the Wednesday statement, “Strengthens our efforts as we approach the Faith Global Day of Action for the Treaty later this year during the Season of Creation,” at the same time “It underscores the need for a binding international agreement that charts a clear path for an equitable shift to safe, affordable, and people-centered renewable energy systems.”
So far fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty has been endorsed by governments, civil societies and Institutions, individuals, Church bodies including Vatican cardinal and the Symposium of Episcopal Conference of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) among others.
