Success or crash? Or something in between..

Walking the corridors of ICC in Durban I saw Todd Stern, the US envoy on climate change and the leader of the US delegation here in Durban.
That man has a lot in his hands and maybe on his conscience for the climate change negotiations. Some years ago there were some hope that US could play a constructive part in the climate regime. Today no one counts them in. The discussion is centered around those who are willing to take the situation serious, which is not the case from US officials who actually seems to believe that you can postpone the reaction of the planetary system! And they are still the worlds second largest emitter as country and per capita the highest, if you don´t count some of the extreme small gulf states

Why are the US so passive and also sometimes obstructing? There are of course many reasons but one must be the climate sceptics but were are all the people of faith in US? Why can´t they speak out about the injustice in how we treat the natural resources? Were are the preaching about the role of human to protect the gift of life in the world we living in? The protection of the equilibrium of the ecology that we are depending on? The responsibility to act with the must vulnerable in our mind?
I know that there are good signs in the faith families in US but they also need to influence the society and the debate and the decision makers.
Well, that is not only true for the US, it is a task for the whole worlds faith communities. That could make the job of Todd Stern a little lighter and a more constructive for the climate and the justice...

Climate Talks - again!

After being very silent I take up the writing on this blog. I am at the COP 17 in Durban South Africa. As always  there are a lot of people from all over the world gathered.. Some officials from their countries and some from civil society.
If we just should listen to the people on the streets there are nothing to discuss. We need to lower the emissions of greenhouse gases and transfer resources to development countries.
If we just should listen to the scientists there is no doubt that we are on the edge of something really serious and we need to drastic lower our emissions and put money to development countries for adaptation and technology transfer.
But if we listen only to the official delegations from the rich countries and the growing economies (read powerful) there are lots of other problem to be solved. Maybe we could lower the emissions by 2019 and do it slowly without risking the economy.
This is so wrong. It´s like telling a patient who is severe ill that we have the medicine and it works and we can give it to you but we have to wait until it is cheaper. That maybe when you are dead but it will be a real good cure!
Yesterday the ecumenical movement was out on the streets of Durban together with other groups to show our concerns and the demands for action from the leaders of the world. This is the momentum for transition! To create a new world built on sustainable and just structures for people of the world. The truth is now that the richest 7% of the world's population created half of the world's emissions while the poorest 50% accounted for only 7% of emissions. And it is about time to change this for everybody's sake.

Climate change in the Holy Land

Yesterday I spent visiting people, places and organisations around Bethlehem. To enter this part of the world I have to pass the wall that is a big disgrace to the whole world. I thought that everybody understood the mistake of building dividing walls after the iron curtain.

Anyway the visit was a tremendous experience. First I got a guided tour in the landscape to see the very strategic building of settlements and then I went east in the direction of the Dead Sea. The birdlife was exiting and the view astonishing.

But the change of weather patterns are clear to people hear. The rain is much less then it used to be which is a problem to people relying on water harvesting. Even if there is a natural cycle of the amount of rain this is a warning of what might be more in a near future. And water is a big issue here. Some people have a lot of water and some are short of it. As it is on the rest of the planet. Some uses a big part of the resources and a majority is left with what is left.

Water and human rights are connected. I think that we have to see the same thing in Climate Change. There is a connection that must be stressed. Just look at the WCC webpage you will see that this is something that must be taken seriously.

I got the privilege to meet with Palestinian authorities, NGO:s, educational people and faith communities to discuss the problem related to climate change.

Again the response I perceived was that there is a need for capacity to meet the demands that climate change puts on a society. And with the political situation in this place of the world the capacity is small. Anyway the people expressed a great engagement in the issues and a genuine will to meet the challenges of climate change. Should be a sign of hope to all of us. A light for all of us from the place where the angels proclaimed peace on earth to the shepherds at the night of nativity!

Climate Discussions in Jerusalem

Today I am in Jerusalem to meet with an international course at the Swedish Theological Institute.

Together with people from Asia Africa South America and Europe we have talked about the threat of climate change and the response or the needed response from faith communities, theologians and faith communities to this.

It is nice to be in the surroundings of the old town with all of the layers of religious life that is enshrined here. The communalities of the faith families as well as the conflicts.

If we could just see this as a richness to meet the threat of climate change and not a dividing thing the climate combat could serve as a tool for deeper understanding and that is needed both for peace and for peace with the earth

Denial - will not solve the problem!

Read on Scientific American site about the denial of human induced climate change in the US.

It is easy to get depressed when you hear that so many people think that climate science is fake!

It is like the ancient old testamental time when the prophets that said the truth but those who delivered a comforting message was believed.

Now, was´nt there an american peace prize laureate that said something about inconvenient truth? Is he still there?

2 degrees - not enough!

The scientists James E. Hansen and Makiko Sato published an article where the message is that 2 degree target and 450 ppm that UNFCCC and IPCC suggested as what the world should aim at to avoid a the most serious results of climate change is far from safe!

It will be very serious results if we are satisfied with that scenario.

Now, hove come that there is such a big gap between what is pointed out from the scientific world and what the political world are ready to do!

So it is even of more importance that faith people around the world get their message to their governments -For Gods sake and the planet and all the people living there; Get you act together and take responsibility and ACT!

Nordic meeting!

Last week a group of people working on environmental issues in different Nordic churches met to share and discuss how to cooperate in the best way around environmental and climate change issues.

In Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and northern Germany there is a whole lot of good work going on. Certification with a church identity, creation time materials, action on climate change, study materials and so on.

Hopefully this will be a starting point for a broader sharing and cooperation in the churches of Northern Europe.

I am glad to be a part of this ecumenical network!

Copenhagen - Nordic Churhces together

Today and tomorrow representatives from different Nordic churches will meet in Copenhagen to look at what we can do together as churches in a Nordic context on issues like climate change and sustainable development.

Hopefully this will be a much more fruitful meeting then the UNFCCC meeting December 2009.

I think it is great that we as faith communities are reflecting over why this is a subject that is a part of our identity as churches and at the same time thinking of what we can do on a practical level.

To come somewhere with the huge assignment we have to change from an unsustainable and unfair world order to a efficient, sustainable and more fair world we need to look at our values, at our spiritualities. We also have to walk the talk. To pray and act at the same time!

So let´s hope for a small Nordic Ecumenical step towards a greater engagement of the faith communities.

Food prices and Middle East Crisis

In the media for the last weeks the protests against the regimes in Middle East has been in focus. Often social media as Facebook and Twitter is mentioned as the vehicle that drives the protests. And perhaps that is the truth. But maybe not the whole truth.

There are also an underlying force in the sky rocketing on the food prices in the world. And this is not just related to a greater demand due. It is also related to the lower yields last year and it seems that it is related to climate. For example the heatwave in Russia led to a less crop then usual.

Today we face that the world market is rising and that also may be an underlying reason for the protests in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen etc.

Climate Change is not an issue only for environmentalists. It is about democracy, freedom, human rights, sustainability and about to have food on the table