Paola Calderón Gomez
RAOEN shares this article (in English) originally published in ADN Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño (CELAM). The original version is in Spanish.
With the COP30 presidency urging the international community that the climate regime must focus on implementing previously agreed-upon decisions in its the third letter at the end of May and as negotiators representing the member countries of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement met in Bonn, Germany between 16 and 26 June, the Churches of the Global South are calling for action towards climate justice and the common home among decision-makers – government leaders, their representatives, and the general public.
Policies anchored in human rights
These approaches are described in depth in the bishops’ message on the occasion of COP30 entitled A Call for Climate Justice and Our Common Home: Ecological Conversion, Transformation, and Resistance to False Solutions. This document was delivered to Pope Leo XIV on 1 July.
The document is an initiative of the Churches of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as the Catholic Episcopal Conferences and Councils of these territories in view of their commitment to addressing the effects of the climate crisis and the imminent holding of COP30. The document, they point out, is the fruit of collective discernment among these particular Churches which, from the continent of hope, evokes the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to act in communion with the mission of the universal Church.
For representatives of the Churches of the Global South, the message is to fulfill the Paris Agreement, implement the Nationally Determined Contributions, transform the economic system toward a restorative model, promote climate and nature policies anchored in human rights, and then share and implement ethical, decentralized, and appropriate technological solutions.
A Climate Justice Observatory
The goal is to achieve zero deforestation by 2030 and restore vital aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. These goals can be achieved if there is a willingness to join forces to strengthen democratic multilateral processes and thus rebuild trust in cooperation and dialogue, “uniting as humanity, North and South, for the well-being of the planet,” they affirm.
Decisions on vital issues that are equal to the urgency of the climate crisis and that put the common good above profit, prioritize the well-being of people, and, if achieved, will ensure conditions for sustainable life on the planet.
These are positions that the Churches of the Global South not only address through recommendations or demands, but also commit to making concrete contributions. They are aware that this process must involve both decision-makers and those who can contribute from their role in the transformation of public policies and cultural practices that on a daily basis do not help improve the difficulties the planet is experiencing.
Several actions from the Churches are aimed at defending the most vulnerable in every decision made regarding climate and nature. They also take on the mission of educating in integral ecology to promote economies based on solidarity, the “happy sobriety” of Laudato Si’, and the “Good Living” of ancestral wisdom. These objectives are driven by the desire to strengthen the intercontinental alliance between countries of the Global South to promote cooperation and solidarity and monitoring the outcomes of the COPs through a Climate Justice Observatory.
Deep ecological conversion
In 2024, the climate crisis caused the planet’s temperature to rise by 1.55°C. This urgent reality goes beyond technical problems and has become an “existential question of justice, dignity, and care for our common home,” the Churches warn.
Inspired by the content of Laudato Si’ and the recent call of Pope Leo XIV to work for an integral ecology with justice, the Churches of the Global South ask to live a “profound ecological conversion.” It cannot be forgotten that 10 years have passed since the publication of Laudato SI’ and the signing of the Paris Agreement, and to date, there has not been a forceful response from the countries of the world to alleviate the crisis.
This is how the Churches of the Global South “reject false solutions such as green capitalism, technocracy, commodifying nature, and extractivism” – phenomena that end up perpetuating “injustice and exploitation.” Urgent needs for the communities and territories must be addressed. “The Church will not remain silent; we will continue to raise our voices alongside science, civil society, and the most vulnerable with truth and coherence, until justice is done. We demand equity, justice, and protection,” they declare.
Responsibility and awareness
To achieve these three minimums, the Churches of the Global South encourage wealthy nations to “pay their ecological debt with fair climate financing without further indebting the South.” The goal is to “recover losses and damages to foster resilience in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Oceania.” This mechanism will contribute to the pursuit of equity that leads to progress.
Second, they advocate for the promotion of economic degrowth. This implies “ending fossil fuels, halting their new infrastructure, and duly taxing those who have benefited from them.” From an ecclesial perspective, it is necessary to “inaugurate a new era of governance that includes and prioritizes the communities most affected by the climate and nature crises,” an alternative that would positively influence the achievement of justice.
Then, when speaking of protection, they refer to “the defense of indigenous and traditional peoples, ecosystems, and impoverished communities.” Here, the church representatives cite communities that should be considered a priority. Among them, they list the “vulnerability of women, girls, and new generations; as well as climate migration as a challenge for justice and the guarantee of human rights.”
There is also a message that argues for proposals in research. Its structure begins with fundamental principles that present a general overview, leading to commitments and responsibilities, and a call for action. It closes by discussing the importance of recognizing the seriousness of the problem in order to move forward and build a path of hope and ecological conversion. One of its sections clearly states, “Our current decisions impact future generations; we advocate for intergenerational justice that ensures a habitable and prosperous planet for all forms of life.”
The press conference broadcast (in Spanish) was held on 1 July 2025 to present the document Un llamado por la justicia climática y la Casa Común: conversión ecológica, transformación y resistencia a las falsas soluciones (A Call for Climate Justice and Our Common Home: Ecological Conversion, Transformation, and Resistance to False Solutions) with Cardinals Jaime Spengler, president of the Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano y Caribeño (CELAM), Felipe Neri Ferrão, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), and Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), and Dra. Emilce Cuda, secretary of the Pontificia Comisión para América Latina (PCAL).