COP26 - Faith and Moral Witness
For Scotland, the UK and those globally following COP26 a lot has happened this week and last. As I write this, the COP negotiations are stretching into new days and new territory as national envoys and diplomats draft and redraft an expected agreement. It is a tumult, with threats of a failure of those at the table to come to an agreement despite the hour being late and the moral imperative reverberating around the globe.
The task is a straightforward one, keep warming under 1.5 to prevent catastrophic climate disruption, as we recognize we are already at 1.2° and ecosystems and landscapes across the planet are already reeling from the changes. The consequences to humans, earth/creation, and all living creatures is already clear, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Faith groups and people of goodwill were and are present, vocal, animated and watching from every part of the world. The communication coming from every faith tradition include words of stern spiritual peril, such as the quote below from Pope Francis.
“Time is running out; this occasion must not be wasted, lest we have to face God’s judgment for our failure to be faithful stewards of the world he has entrusted to our care.”
Last Tuesday, with negotiation for the agreements and protests ongoing, we shared conversation here at the Climate Cafe Multifaith with Cafe co-host William H. Morris and Frank Granshaw, who were both in Glasgow for COP26. (See their bios below.) In the run up to COP, we spoke with Adrian Shaw, with EcoCongregations and Interfaith Scotland. Find our Pre-COP Briefing, here.
For William H. Morris this was his first COP. He attended with the Christian Climate Observers Program and gave interviews for the BBC Heart & Soul Podcast, and ABC News. Frank Granshaw attended COP with Quaker Earthcare Witness and the US ACE Coalition (Action for Climate Empowerment). He also maintained the Connecting to COP26 one-stop website. This is his third COP, having attended COP23 in Bonn, Germany, and COP24 in Katowice, Poland.
A key takeaway for both men was the enormity of the event. The pavilions, events, vigils, presentations and talks were numerous—and everything had to be organized around an international pandemic. That meant those admitted to the Blue Zone—where the delegations met—had to be tested every day before entry. Then there was the Youth March followed by a March for Climate Justice that brought well over 100,000 into the street. These marches included many families and young children as well as many people of faith, marching as young people or with faith groups such Young Christian Climate Network and Act Alliance.
For the marches and general protests, security was tight, with police from all over the UK at times kettling, arresting, and breaking up protesters. At one point police closed a bridge that linked the Blue and Green Zones when it became a place of protest.
A more ‘corporate’ COP
Different COPs have differing characters, but both Morris and Granshaw named the feel for this one as ‘corporate’ and ‘exclusive.’ The UNFCCC needed to find a balance between the climate and pandemic emergencies, and the result meant testing, long lines, and many important observers absent from the COP. There also seemed to be a fear of any type of protest on the grounds of the COP itself. The police presence was heavy outside, and inside leaflets, pamphlets, and newspapers were forbidden—even publications like the New York Times were prohibited in the Blue Zone. Morris was standing in line to enter when he witnessed the Times being confiscated, “that was a very big eye opening moment. I'm just like, ‘wow you can't have newspapers, freedom of press, on the grounds? So what is actually going on in here and how much truth is being told?’”
Previous years saw a better mix of stakeholders in the primary conference areas. On the grounds in previous COPs, Granshaw noted that the exhibitors were a mix of corporations, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), community groups and faith groups. Granshaw missed this “robust mix” of people and ideas especially as an educator. “I teach at Portland State, climate science for non-science majors, which means I get a whole range of students including students who still think that this is a big hoax, or ‘what does this have to do with me, I'm a business major,’…If [COP exhibitors include] a robust mix, it leaves me with all sorts of resources that I can pass on to students.”
But for whatever reason or combinations of reasons, this time at COP corporations were the dominant voice on the grounds. The result was that an ‘exclusive’ experience greeted badged attendees within the COP, while activists, faith leaders, youth, and truth-tellers shivered outside. Those who many believed were the ones the delegates most needed to hear from were essentially shut out, their voices could not penetrate the gates. “Every day,” Morris explained, “there was people protesting out in front of the gate, people maybe not invited in who needed to be heard and weren't there.”
In this clip from our conversation, William H. Morris talks about his experience with the corporate feel of COP26—“the entire thing almost felt like it was PR for somebody at every point”—which was a huge contrast to the voices of those without access who were left standing outside the gate.
In this corresponding clip, Frank Granshaw speaks to the ‘exclusivity’ of this latest COP, and the challenges of a COP during a pandemic. He also touches on the potential for corporate engagement. A rapid transition to green energy will necessitate adaptive solutions at scale. Corporations that are run by those who share a vision for true solutions will be needed in this process.
An outpouring of community and beyond, from and in Scotland
While the COP itself had a feeling of corporate interests and of shutting out protest, the people of Scotland and the UK offered an outpouring of community. Scotland was a hub of welcome, conversation, and activity, engaging activists, youth, families, delegates and people of faith. The Scottish people embraced the importance of the moment with Climate Fringe, Climate Cafes, People’s COP, Children’s Parliament, and more. The connectivity reached out to those around the globe with livestreams, global-live Cafes and events, and the New York Times Climate HUB.
On the day of the Friday youth march, school children—even young children—across Scotland left school behind to participate, bringing thousands of grown-ups, their parents, and their faith groups with them.
“The interfaith voice at these conferences is emerging as a significant stakeholder in and of itself.”
Churches across Scotland also opened their doors for conversation and engagement. There was bell ringing and vigils and pilgrims and services for weeks before the event. Both Granshaw (a Quaker) and Morris (Evangelical) attended faith gatherings while they were there. Says Granshaw, “The Scottish churches were really incredible in terms of their support for this event.” Not only in Glasgow, but in traveling in Scotland, and attending a few Quaker meetings, Granshaw saw a tremendous effort was made to connect people into the COP process, including people of faith.
Granshaw noted how the energy and participation of faith groups had changed, especially over the last few years. In past years a memorable interaction might be with Jehovah’s Witnesses, who would stand outside the Civil Society venue “with their pamphlets and the message they were essentially selling which was ‘hey, we're screwed so get right with God.’” The message from faith groups this year was much more directed toward pushing back on dooms-day rhetoric to demand faithful action to help others.
Morris’s group stayed in Glasgow, and shared his appreciation for the willingness of St. George Tron to serve as a hub for people of faith, offering vigils, conversations, sanctuary, and services that he felt refreshed him as a faith witness to COP.
In this photo, shared by Morris, members of his group gathered with others for a candlelight vigil and prayer at St. George Tron, an event organized by the UK based Young Christian Climate Network among many others.
Not only did churches and faith communities across the UK and Scotland participate in vigils and events, but in Glasgow, during the Global Day of Action, when many Indigenous people and people from the Global South spoke out, people of faith showed up and made their presence known. Explains Morris, “there was a whole faith block during that protest on the Global day of Action, so all of these faith groups were there together. It was a really heartening thing to see all these different people of faith, and of different faiths, coming together.”
Even as global political leaders continued to erode hope in their willingness to do what must be done, for people of faith hope bubbled up from the streets of Glasgow itself. Faith and hope was found instead in the marchers, in the community gathered outside the gate, the faithful in Scotland and the vigils and prayers and services, and in evidence as a ‘coat of hopes’ transported by Christian Climate Action across the UK and adorned with patches from everyday people who offered up their hopes for Earth, creation, and life itself.
For those reading this who appreciate visual resources, click over the the Lutheran World Federation Flickr page, with over 1000 photos of COP and the events surrounding it including faith services and vigils, marches, speeches, and the Coat of Hopes Morris mentions in the video. The coat was an effort of the group Christian Climate Action within Extinction Rebellion.
Green energy—and the lack of it
Faith leaders engaged robustly not only with prayer, witness, and marches, but in high level conversation about moral solutions to the climate crisis, including speaking to fossil fuel interests, greenwashing, the need for moral economies, and even nuclear power. Always with a mindfulness of the urgency we face.
A few days into COP, the Washington Post reported that the fossil fuel industry had the largest delegation at COP. Many activists expressed frustration at this news, as denialism, greenwashing, and ‘offsets’ are all real challenges for those working to keep global temps below 1.5°. With these challenges at the center of attention, there is room also for some nuance. Granshaw expressed some wisdom around how difficult it has been to get the fossil fuel companies to the table at all when it comes to discussions around fossil fuel extraction and climate pollution.
At our Climate Cafe Multifaith, there was also conversation and acknowledgement that drawing down emissions, dismantling pipelines, cleaning up polluted wetlands, waterways, soils, and air, and permanently capping wells would all take some measure of co-operation from fossil fuel companies. Granshaw expressed a key consideration in speaking to the challenges presented by the power fossil fuel companies still wield, “how to get them at the table without letting them own the table.”
“We don’t have the time.”
The specter of a nuclear build-out also warranted the attention of people of faith at COP. Consensus at the Climate Cafe Multifaith was that nuclear power presented far too many short and long term problems while not addressing key injustices. Kicking the problem of waste, pollution, and clean up to future generations is how we got in this mess to begin with, and nuclear risks and waste perpetuate these moral problems. Yet even so, there were youth at COP wearing sponsored, pro-nuclear t-shirts.
Morris shared that it surprised him to see a nuclear exhibit in the COP pavilion. “It was a big cause of debate with the people I was going with, lots of arguing back and forth the whole time as well. So it's a hot button topic, for sure.” Morris explained that the “trick” being used with young people is the line that “its not your grandpa’s nuclear.” Yet, “having a source of power that produces waste that goes way past our lifetime, that's kind of like our climate crisis, relegating the problems to those who come after us instead of dealing with it ourselves.”
Loss and Damage
A huge priority for the people in the streets, for activists, and for those from Indigenous communities and the Global South was that wealthier, oil extracting and exporting countries contribute funds toward the restoration and adaptation of the areas of the world hardest hit by global temperature change, and least responsible for emissions.
Oil producing and exporting companies and countries made the mess we are in as a globe, destabilizing the jetstream, melting ice and glaciers, imperiling and polluting water, and contributing to devastating pollution and extreme weather events around the world. The morality of the ‘who made the mess’ question is first to stop the harm and next to ensure clean up. Loss and damage are a key moral mechanism, it is a request that some of the enormous profits and subsidies that have previously gone into the pockets of oil executives, political campaigns, and further extraction, be redirected to pay for mitigating and repairing the destruction that extraction has caused to countries who have not caused the mess nor profited by it.
Loss and damage rose up as a special concern to people of faith because of its clear moral resonance. The cry for not only a cessation of emissions, but also reparations from those actively suffering from degradation of their land, sea level rise, crop failures, and whose lives were most at risk, rose loudly at the Global Day of Action, in faith circles, and outside the gates of COP. Morris shared that at St. George Tron and other faith spaces “prayers were specifically pointed towards different governments to pay up for loss and damage and to take responsibility for their actions.”
“There’s a lot frustration and anger among young people. ...I’m 26 and this is COP26 so this has been happening as long as I have been alive.”
Morris explains, “a large part of the protests that were happening was for these developed countries to pay up for loss of damage.” Loss and damage reparations were agreed to in the Paris Agreement. But this ‘100 billion dollar promise’ has yet to properly take effect, let alone be paid out yearly as agreed.
Morris expressed tremendous empathy for those calling out to citizens from wealthier countries, asking them to demand change from their leaders. Their frustration is one he can relate to. He speaks to the immorality of one generation breaking everything, pocketing all the wealth, then expecting those without resources to foot the bill plus clean it all up. Says Morris, “a lot of young people are fed up with that. …we have no real political power or financial power when it comes to these things.”
Faith communities globally and locally took up the call for loss and damage to be agreed too, even as the US and EU delegations balked. And by the end of COP26, the worldly powers of the Blue Zone had largely won the day.
In this photo, people of faith gather and pray at St. George Tron in support of Indigenous and other people disproportionately harmed by the burning of fossil fuels. Photo by William Morris.
Although he didn’t get the outcome that he wanted, Morris believes that ultimately, the strength of the faith community can provide a powerful voice against continued harms. “I think faith voices are powerful because they are so radical. I think they are doing what's right no matter what. It goes beyond just being this moral voice, and knowing you are doing what's right because of our values. Your faith empowers you to do something more extraordinary than probably the average person is going to do.” It comes down to not just talking about it, but acting on one’s faith convictions. Concludes Morris, “that’s what I'm seeing as being increasingly necessary as time is going on.”
Finding Hope
Morris draws hope from the real words and truths from those standing outside the gates. “I do have a lot of hope. I was listening to people just be honest about where they're at and what they're feeling with this crisis.” Morris isn’t interested in “sugarcoating.” Instead, he values those addressing the challenges honestly, “this is bad and we've locked in a lot of bad things and how do we be real about this and move forward in hope.”
Frank Granshaw finds hope in the continuation of the process as painful as that can be, noting that there are many who would like nothing better than to shut these conversations down. Instead, COP expands, gathers, and informs people globally, puts pressure on leaders, and in a virtual world has democratized access to reach a global community.
Granshaw also recognizes that surprising things can and do happen, “there has been a lot of times where it just seems like it totally wasted process but there's been those surprises, those serendipitous things that seem to be game changers.”
Update: COP26 delegates finalized the Glasgow Pact November 13, and early responses were mixed. Some were glad to see small concessions and the groundwork laid for more. The Pact also holds onto the goal of holding global temperature rise to 1.5C—even if by a hair’s breadth. Activists, faith groups and the young decried the Pact as not going nearly far enough. “Here’s a brief summary: Blah Blah Blah” was the response from Greta Thunberg on twitter following the final agreement.
Over the next year much more will be written about this COP. Fresh from the decision yesterday, here are a few responses in print:
Key points of the Glasgow Pact - from The Guardian
Leaders welcome COP26 deal despite coal compromise - from The Guardian
COP26 keeps 1.5C alive and finalises Paris Agreement - from UKCOP26
Final Climate Pact falls short of hopes and expectations - from Vatican News
Commentary - Was the climate change conference in Glasgow a success? by Rev. Rich Kilmer
Don’t get too bummed out about COP26 by David Roberts at Volts.
William Morris (he/him) is a 26-Year-old climate activist located in Torrance, CA. He holds his degree in environmental science with an emphasis on ecological restoration from Humboldt State University. William works with Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (YECA) serving first as a field organizer and is now on their steering committee. He volunteers with The Climate Reality Project, is chair of the Los Angeles chapter’s Faith-based Communities Committee, is also involved with Extinction Rebellion Los Angeles, and a member of the board at Circle Faith Future. William spends his time engaging with faith communities, schools, universities, and organizations around the topics of faith-based climate justice and education.
Frank Granshaw is a retired geoscience educator, glacial geologist, and insufferably proud grandpa from Portland Oregon. In addition to being actively involved in climate education and advocacy through Portland State University, the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon’s Creation Justice Program, American Geophysical Union, and the Oregon Science Network of the Union of Concerned Scientists, he has been an observer delegate to two UN Climate summits and is one of the founders of the PDX Climate Bridge.
Rev. Richenda Fairhurst is here for the friendship and conversations about climate, community, and connection. She organizes the Climate Cafe Multifaith as a co-leader of Faiths4Future. Find her in real life in Southern Oregon, working as Steward of Climate with the nonprofit Circle Faith Future.