We need your help!
The world needs your help!
It needs you more than ever
On 5th September 2021, the Methodist Churches in the Ipswich area launched our campaign focused on Climate Action. Denoted as Climate Sunday, we committed ourselves to a 9-week campaign in preparation for the global COP26 conference to be held in Glasgow at the beginning of November.
COP26 was long billed as one of the most important gatherings in the world – a make or break of whether world leaders would be willing to put the survival of creation above local politics. Some important agreements were made at COP26, but nowhere near as many as were needed to ensure a sustainable future. The most crucial takeaway is that all countries need to achieve Net Zero by 2050 – much later than ideal, but at least this is a shared goal – to stop adding more carbon dioxide or equivalenet into the atmosphere after that date.
Our campaign had four equally vital elements to it – designed to mobilise heart and mind and to ensure that we took time to learning about the real issues, not the myths – that we committed to personal and collective action, that we adopt a strong sense of advocacy, speaking out to decision makers, and most importantly, that we focused on ways of inspiring hope – shunning the spirit of doom in these difficult times.
World leaders made several commitments in Glasgow, some legally binding on governments, but still falling short of those demanded by the poorest and most vulnerable nations. Despite this, leaders at COP26 promised to end the continuous delays and obfuscations. One of the commitments was to meet again in November 2022 to hold each other to account for progress on the agreements.
A year downstream from COP26, world leaders are gathering again in Egypt for COP27.
The science has become ever-more compelling, evidence of warming continuing to accelerate is published almost daily, with the latest statement warning that the target of keeping warming below 1.5C is now impossible.
The war in Ukraine has threatened to derail much of the commitment to climate action, as it has tipped over into a financial crisis for most western economies – impacting energy costs, creating more food shortages, with governments looking for short-term answers to boost their popularity.
It is easy to focus on the failings, and there is plenty to celebrate. The renewed hope for the Amazon, given Brazil’s new government. The US coming back to the table after walking away. The EU committment to ban all new cars after 2035 which are not zero emission. The UK upholding of the ban on fracking which threatened to extract more hydrocarbons than ever, and our increased investment in renewables.
Above all, pray for the success of the COP27 discussions
We held an Open Day in the weekend before COP26. It was designed to consolidate the learning we’ve shared, focus on the issues we need to speak about and act on, and commit ourselves afresh to inspiring hope.None of those who attended could fail to be moved by the stark reality shared with us by Rev James Bhagwan, the General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches and a Methodist minister. He was on his way from Fiji to Glasgow for COP26. We sent greetings and prayers from the circuit to Glasgow and back to Fiji – a country that is already experiencing the impact of climate change. We recorded his presentation and you can view it here:
The climate crisis continues to present us with the most important agenda humanity has ever faced. It is a daunting challenge.
Whatever the horror surrounding the pandemic, it has taught us two important things: we cannot treat global issues as someone else’s problem, and that apparently impossible things are achievable when they are given the priority they need.
We are called to be good stewards of God’s creation, and in so doing to side with the most vulnerable.
People find it hard to comprehend, and even harder to understand what we might do individually. That is why as individuals and as groups, we need to commit ourselves to learning about the issues so that we are less daunted by the unknown. We can put that learning to good use by speaking out and taking action which makes a difference.
We invite everyone to embrace this campaign, by asking yourself each day: “what new thing have I learnt, how have I spoken out, have my actions made a difference, and when have I inspired fresh hope?”
The campaign materials prepared in autumn 2021 remain just as valid today as when they were prepared. Except, that we have now had further relevant UN summits, each making slightly more commitment, but always falling short of the need. The 5th of June 2022 marked the 50th Anniversary of the first ever UN meeting on the threat of Climate Change. Fifty years of missed opportunity. Antonio Gutierres, the UN General Secretary summed up those 50 years of talks and relatively little action in his statement “Hot air is killing us“. Read more about the background to that meeting here.
If ever it was needed, July 2022 has been a wake-up call about the reality of climate change, as much of Southern Europe has experienced dangerously high temperatures. Data from the Met Office shows that the 19th of July recorded the first ever UK temperature exceeding 40oC.
Each of the 9-weeks focuses on a different topic and suggests actions you can take. There is a prayer card for you to use too, and an ivitation to sign up to the following pledge.
We believe in climate justice
We commit ourselves to listen and learn from stories around the world,
to speak out and act for climate justice and
to be ambassadors of hope for creation’s richness.
We have created a list of prayer points to encourage everyone to unite in prayer throughout each of the nine weeks culminating in prayer for the summit’s success.
Click the image above to view the full list
As the Ipswich Methodist Circuit takes climate action seriously, many of the services and sermons available elsewhere on this website speak to the theme justice for creation.
The first of these services was held on Climate Sunday as a joint service to which all 22 of the Methodist churches in the area were invited, and at whcih this campaign was launched.
Did you miss the circuit service on 5th September 2021?
Other worship materials including whole services, and printed or video sermons are available here.