Faith-Based Advocacy Has an Important Role to Play in Climate Negotiations
By Miriam Silverman Israel
The slow progress being made at international negotiations like COP27, combined with the increasingly severe climate impacts being felt by communities around the world, has revealed the need for new and creative strategies to engage state governments and their constituents on large-scale climate action. Although religious actors and faith-based organizations (FBOs) are not always seen as main players on this issue, they can play a crucial and innovative role in implementing climate solutions and influencing negotiations. This potential was demonstrated at COP27 by the dedicated and consistent advocacy of faith-based organizations in attendance.
A Pew study from 2015 found that approximately 85% of the global population, or more than 6 billion people, belong to at least one religious or belief tradition. Although this number has likely changed in the intervening years, trends around religious affiliation show that many religious community populations are increasing. At the same time, a 2021 Nature Climate Change study found that anthropogenic climate impacts are already being felt across 80% of the world’s land area, where 85% of the world’s population lives. The similarity between these two figures demonstrates the magnitude of the climate crisis while also highlighting the potential of religious communities to participate in climate solutions. Religious communities are also particularly important to consider on issues of climate justice since countries with the lowest carbon emissions and highest climate vulnerability also tend to have the highest populations of religious adherents.
Not only do religious communities make up a large percentage of the global population, and represent places particularly vulnerable to climate impacts, but they also control substantial financial and land-based assets that, when mobilized, can contribute significantly to climate finance and other needs. For example, religious institutions and communities are estimated to own about 7% of the world’s habitable land, providing significant opportunity for renewable energy siting or nature-based solutions. Organizations like FaithInvest work directly with FBOs to help them develop investment plans that align with their religious values and have been part of a movement of religious organizations to divest billions of dollars from fossil fuel holdings.
At COP, religious groups are primarily represented through the Interfaith Liaison Committee which serves as an informal constituency group and liaison between the UNFCCC and observer organizations. FBOs are also engaged through the U.N. Environment Programme’s Faith for Earth Initiative which works year-round to conduct capacity building, create regional networks, and center the moral and ethical dimensions of the climate crisis in negotiations.
The second week of COP27, which involved a hectic rush to finish negotiations and reach a historic deal on funding for loss and damages, revealed the necessity for outside advocacy to put pressure on negotiators and the important role that FBOs can play in these efforts. It also revealed how different advocacy strategies by FBOs vary in their ability to reach and impact negotiators.
FBOs organized more than 40 official side events at COP27 and were present at many other events, demonstrations, and press conferences. By being physically present at COP27, FBOs were able to raise the profile on the moral and spiritual aspects of the climate crisis and many chose to focus their advocacy on climate justice issues like funding for adaptation and loss and damages. Bishop Arnold Temple of the Methodist Church in Sierra Leone made clear in a high-level statement on behalf of FBOs at COP27 that religious traditions can be a resource for the values needed to address climate change, including compassion, justice, and care for each other and the natural world. In particular, religious traditions can “bring narratives that demand us all, decision-makers, faith and civil society actors alike, to act with justice.”
At the same time, many of the events organized by FBOs took place far from the negotiations, and it is unclear how successful some of them were in reaching a wider audience. In Sharm el-Sheikh, a group of religious leaders and activists climbed Mount Sinai, an important landmark in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and smashed tablets in a symbolic protest of the seemingly stalled climate negotiations. While this provided a powerful visual image and was an important moment of interfaith solidarity, it seemed to go relatively unnoticed within the conference venue and didn’t deliver clear steps for action within the negotiating rooms.
By contrast, other FBOs from across religious traditions were engaged in active lobbying with party delegates and were able to use their moral authority to uplift marginalized groups and push for issues like loss and damages. At COP27, I was able to observe this strategy in action during a meeting between Catholic organizations and the party delegates of the Holy See. The Vatican only recently became a full voting member and party to the Paris Agreement and their delegates were soliciting input and priorities from Catholic and other civil society organizations who were present at COP27. Repeatedly, representatives from across the globe stressed the need for an agreement on an independent loss and damage funding mechanism and maintaining the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This opportunity to speak directly with negotiators and inform their position was invaluable and speaks to the influence that FBOs can have when they are vocal, well-organized, and advocating for climate justice.
The Holy See is a unique case where, although they do not represent the global Catholic community, they do have a clear religious affiliation and are likely more inclined to engage with organizations that share their affiliation. In this case, common religious identity was what got the Catholic organizations in the room; however, they were able to use the opportunity to advocate for specific negotiation priorities and put pressure on the Holy See delegation to increase its ambition.
Symbolic activism and calls for moral and spiritual transformation are important, but FBOs can be most effective when they are knowledgeable about the technical elements of the UNFCCC process and prepared to make specific demands of negotiators. Appealing to the moral obligations of negotiators, while still being prepared to make specific demands, can help FBOs differentiate themselves from other advocates and provide them additional leverage. Religion can also serve as an initial point of connection and help facilitate relationships between advocates and negotiators while empowering observer organizations to push for specific negotiation outcomes and encourage more equitable, ambitious, and just progress on a global scale.
Miriam Silverman Israel is a second-year dual-degree student pursuing a Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) as well as a Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) at the Harvard Divinity School. Her studies focus on the human impacts of climate change policy, including adaptation and resilience, equity and inclusion and the role of faith-based advocacy in promoting greater ambition. She is Co-President of the Fletcher Energy and Environment Club and the Fletcher Initiative for Religion, Law and Diplomacy. Miriam attended the second week of COP27 as part of the Tufts University delegation.
Pope Arrives in General Assembly Hall for His Address is by United Nations Photo and is licensable under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
