Urgent need for church leaders to speak up for Paris Agreement on Climate Change


A letter published in the Belfast Newsletter 3 June 2017, and the Belfast Telegraph on 6 June 2017.

Donald Trump has pulled the USA out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the worldwide reaction has been scornful and disparaging.  World leaders were swift to react.

President Macron of France said that President Trump has, “committed an error for the interests of his country, his people and a mistake for the future of our planet.” Chancellor Merkel said, "We need this Paris agreement to preserve our Creation. Nothing can or will stop us from doing that."
"We need this Paris agreement to preserve our Creation. Nothing can or will stop us from doing that."
Church leaders equally reacted with derision. The Vatican said for Pope Francis this was a “huge slap in the face” and a “disaster for everyone”. The Church of England’s lead Bishop for the Environment, Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, Bishop of Salisbury, said, “churches and other faith leaders, must speak clearly: this decision is wrong for the USA and for the world.”

People in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland often look to church leaders to express how they feel. Church leaders can be a prophetic voice on climate change. They can call for a change of direction, a repentance, from a path that leads to destruction. President Trump’s decision this week will further endanger the lives of millions of the most vulnerable people on earth. Church leaders need to be a voice for the voiceless and speak out for climate justice.

There is a growing and urgent need for the Church of Ireland to develop its voice on environmental matters. Our bishops need to speak up to support the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

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