FAITH FILES

AS COP26 comes to a close, we hear that there has been much progress. New agreements and targets have been announced, from individual countries and across many nations. Doubts remain though about whether it is enough, but at least it appears to be heading in the right direction.

Many also doubt whether action will follow the words. After all, we’re still waiting the fulfilment of overdue promises from years ago.

It’s one thing to make headlines by promising big on carbon, quite another to deliver on it. Domestic agendas often get in the way when an election is looming.

People need to know that our words can be trusted. Of course there will always be situations out of our control, when we genuinely meant to do something but are prevented from doing so. But if people realise that we never intended to do it, trust is lost.

And trust in world leaders to deliver on their promises is on the line. Once again, the poor wait to see whether rich nations will take responsibility for the mess that’s been made. Climate change is affecting all of us, but developed countries bounce back from bad weather far more easily than those without the finance.

The Bible has much to say about helping those in need. Doing it for show is not an option. Doing the bare minimum to ease our conscience isn’t much better. In fact the right use of money is one of the most mentioned subjects in the gospels.

Jesus spent much of His time with those who society at large had written off and walked over. He offered hope to those with nothing, but had strong words for those who were more interested in gaining wealth than helping others.

While world leaders are the ones who can make the strategic decisions for the biggest impact, we all have a part to play in this. It’s not just about giving our spare change to charity. Our daily decisions and lifestyle choices have a global impact.

A proverb says, “Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.”

Will the world shut its ears to the pleas for help we have heard these last two weeks? Will you?