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

Faith communities in Cancun - does it matter

The UNFCCC meeting in Cancun is running on overtime and every delegate seems to to their best to avoid a failure like we seen in Copenhagen.

Also the WCC have as the last of everyone in plenum made its statement. But does it matter if the faith communities is present or not? Do they add anything more than just another voice that we can hear from other environmentalist or social justice groups.

Actually I think it matters.
A document on why churches are present in Cancun from the group that attended the Cancun meeting was delivered and it ends like this

The holistic approach to climate change that churches proclaim also includes the spiritual dimension which must not be overlooked or ignored in the deliberations over political and economic interests. The hosting of ecumenical or interfaith celebrations during the COPs, as well as other explicit expressions like demonstrations and messages from local congregations and communities, stress the particular contribution that faith based groups and organizations can and must bring to the debate. It is our hope that the ethical and spiritual considerations will be taken seriously in the follow-up deliberations after COP 16.

There is, therefore, a moral obligation for the churches and faith communities to participate in the negotiations of the international community in Cancun and in the future. Their contribution is twofold: to urge the world to act for a more just and equitable world and and the same time, rooted in their spiritual teachings, convey a message of hope to the whole world.

That is a good reason why.

Cancun - last hours

Cancun meeting is in the last 24 hours now. All the states are doing their statements and the buzzwords changes all the time. Japan needs to be talked into that they stay in the Kyoto protocol. And what about historical emissions? In the LCA document or not?

Anyway the hope is that Cancun delivers a kind of road map, even though that word relates to Bali meeting 2007.

The world need to step every step, even if it is small, to reduce the climate impact.

The hope is still there but it needs to be fed by states and organisations that take the lead and act for a low carbon tomorrow.

Yes we CanCun! Maybe...

Now I have arrived in Cancun for the COP 16. It is the forth time that I am at a COP.

The mood could be marked as low expectations but with some hope.

There is no real spirit of "Yes, we can!" It is more like: "Well, maybe we can, if somebody else start".

But still. I miss the references to moral obligations to act. I miss the justice perspective that points out the need and rights for the developing regions of the world to develop and leapfrog the fossil driven development.

So lets see what happens during the last days.