Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The Religious leaders who signed the petition included, among others, Bishop Joseph Obanyi of Kenya’s Kakamega Diocese, General Secretary for Council of Churches in Zambia which includes Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops (ZCCB) Rev. Emmanuel Chikoya and members of the Inter-religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) which includes the Catholic Church in Uganda, have said in the petition dabbed sacred people, sacred earth that “The work to create this future begins now.”
They highlight that the better future is possible through collective response to the pandemic and the climate crisis “guided by compassion, love and justice at a scale that meets this moment,” not only by providing the relief that so many need to survive, but also “creating a new culture, politics and economy of life that heals people and planet.”
“We envision a world transformed, in which humanity in all its diversity has developed a shared reverence for life on planet Earth. Together, we are building resilient, caring communities and economies that meet everyone’s needs and protect the planet,” the Religious leaders said adding, “The era of conquest, extraction, and exploitation has given way to cooperation and community.”
According to petitioners, good life calls for connectedness with each other and nature where “life replaces despair with joy, scarcity with shared abundance, and privilege with justly distributed power.”
They noted that as governments and financial institutions meet next month to discuss climate change issues and Covid-19 pandemic, deliberated actions “must not perpetuate an outdated economic system that relies on fossil fuels and the destruction of the very forests, waters, oceans and soils that make life possible.”
Instead they said, “They should accelerate renewable energy development; ensure universal access to clean water and air, affordable clean energy, and food grown with respect for the land; create jobs paying family-sustaining wages to workers in safe conditions.”
They have further called on developed countries to take “responsibility for a larger share of emissions reductions to support a global just transition,” while encouraging humanity to “prepare for welcoming those who will be displaced by Covid-19 and climate change.”
Addressing financial organization, the religious leaders said, “Businesses, banks and financial institutions must abandon systems based on exploitive returns (but) create and embrace a system that provides energy, transport and healthy food for all, that protects the rights and wellbeing of workers and local communities, and that truly sustains the planet.”
They add, “Financial institutions must dramatically accelerate investment in renewable energy systems, with a conscious commitment to decentralized, community-based, women, Indigenous, and community-led initiatives so that the new energy system is more equitable, with more broadly distributed ownership.
Religious leaders further caution that “Financing must end immediately for agribusiness and extractive industries that immorally destroy tropical forests, its matchless biodiversity, and its Indigenous guardians,” Besides, Financing for industrial agriculture that promotes a profoundly unsustainable, unhealthy diet and that is unspeakably cruel to animals must also end while they “increase support for regenerative and sustainable agriculture, with a particular commitment to smaller-scale farms.”
They appeal to governments to “enact and enforce laws that protect people and planet alike, in keeping with the inherent dignity of every human being and the world’s biodiversity,” and that “wealthiest countries must commit to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and accelerate finance and technology transfers to poorer countries to ensure a global just transition to zero before 2050.”
In their message, the faith organizations promise to be “models of environmental leadership, utilizing rituals, religious education, facilities, and the public voices of our spiritual leaders, members and followers.”
Additionally, they promise to encourage local circles of care and resilience in communities to participate in the transformation through education, organizing, advocacy and job training, at the same time to “move purposefully towards sustainable, largely plant-based dietary practices in religious schools, houses of prayer and worship, clinics, and other institutions.”
“Each person carries a divine spark, unique gifts, and a moral responsibility to make one’s life a blessing for the Earth and all people,” the religious leaders concluded their message addressing each individual.