COP23 Work

The Fiji Council of Churches stands by our Prime Minister and the Government. We need to translate the hope provided by the Paris Agreement into real action to direct the world towards a more just and sustainable future. The Fiji Council of Churches (FCC) supports the World Council of Churches for lobbying at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP22) in Marrakesh, Morocco. There are two signs of hope from 2015 – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement – are pivotal international instruments that have the potential to direct the world toward a more just and sustainable future.

It is absolutely critical for COP22 to translate the hope generated in Paris last year into higher ambitions and concrete actions, adding that rich, industrialised countries are historically the primary emitters and beneficiaries of greenhouse gas emissions – and there is a moral obligation for these countries to act and act now.

As a fellowship of people of faith, we carry a hope that impels us to speak and act. The impoverished, the future generations and creation herself must be at the centre of any climate policy and agreement, said Grape.

This hope drives us to participate in a pilgrimage of justice and peace on the earth and with the earth – a gift and a home for all of us, and whose bounty ought to be shared and enjoyed in equitable and sustainable ways. We called on COP22 parties to show that the Paris Agreement is for real and to ramp up the ambitions to keep the global average temperature increase under 1.5 degrees Celsius. We also called for a rapid transition to a low-carbon economy through ending fossil fuel subsidies and boosting investments in renewable energies. The FCC also called for ensuring that the various mechanisms under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, such as adaptation, loss and damage, capacity-building and finance, are developed to contribute to a just and resilient society for all. Securing a scaled-up, transparent and sustained support to poor and vulnerable nations from wealthy and developed nations is crucial as well. FCC are jointly demanding a more rapid transition to a low-carbon economy based on clean energy in order to stem rising global temperatures. We pray for our PM’s leadership role and we believe that God had called him to take on this huge responsibility.

Reverend Simione Tugi, General Secretary

Fiji Council of Churches Letter of the Week winner, Reverend Simione Tugi, will receive a Parker pen from the Fiji Sun.