Leaders Summit on Climate
Beginning this past Sunday, which was Earth Sunday, I have blogged every day on environmental and Creation care themes. In several instances they have addressed complicated issues which is a challenge to write about in a few paragraphs and likely not all that easy to read. Yet it's important for all of us as Christians to have a sense of what is unfolding for our planetary home.
Yesterday I wrote about the Leaders Summit on Climate an international conference convened virtually by the United States. This is an important initiative by the Biden administration, signalling a return by the US to the table in addressing the global climate emergency.
Today we're hearing about a pitch by Brazil to the US -- provide a billion dollars in financial support in return for reducing deforestation of the Amazon basin which is sometimes described as the lungs of the planet. If this sounds like extortion, it is, and many environmental activists within Brazil are sounding the alarm. The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, has allowed clear-cutting, burning, and development in the Amazon region. He has no regard for Indigenous peoples and many forest defenders have been killed during his regime.
Some of us can remember the so-called United Nations Earth Summit which took place in Brazil in 1992 with a Canadian, Maurice Strong, chairing this international meeting. There was optimism that the nations of the world would take positive action to preserve the Earth's ecoystems.
Faith matters in all of this. At that time of the Earth Summit the World Council of Churches was actively involved in exploring the implications from a faith standpoint. Our United Church participated and has been involved in various international conferences o the environment through the decades.
Just over a year ago Pope Francis, who is from South America, convened what was called the Amazon Synod which brought representatives from Indigenous groups to the Vatican to discuss their relationship with the land and the oppression and persecution they were experiencing. Francis was criticized from within the Roman Catholic church for incorporating symbolism and rituals from these cultures into the liturgies of the synod. I admired Francis for his openness and willingness to listen.
Who knows where today's discussions will go regarding the Amazon and the conclusions from the Leaders Summit. It's tempting to be cynical, given the history and current leadership in Brazil, but perhaps this will be the moment in history when we wake up to what needs to be done to "live with respect in Creation."
Vatican Amazon Synod February 2020
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