Pray Now for Climate Conference By Resa DavenResa Daven - 15 Dec 2009

Right now the world’s leaders are gathering to discuss what most probably is the biggest crisis the world has seen, making the current economic crisis a foot note in our world’s history in comparison.  Glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, droughts are more common and occuring longer, sea levels are rising, threatening to submerge entire islands, making the inhabitants of Carteret Atoll, close to Papua New Guinea, the first climate refugees that literally don’t have a home.

Sweden, where I come from is one of the few countries that will benefit from global warming. Apart from local populations of fish having to compete with new invasive species, we are looking forward to warmer winters and a higher yield of crops. Not too bad.  However, the International Red Cross estimate that there currently are about 25 million people classified as climate refugees and that that number is expected to rise dramatically in the near future. Essentially, as a Swede, climate change is not merely a matter of weighing the pros and cons between driving a car and public transport, but a matter of international justice.

I’m sure many of the readers of this article are doing what they can in terms of recycling and considering alternative modes of transport and energy use. However, there are certain periods in time when decisions are made that will affect millions of people. As many of you now know, the 7-18 December 2009 is such a time. The 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) is taking place right now in Copenhagen, where the world’s political leaders are gathering to agree on a new international treaty. What we are praying and hoping for is that it will be a ”fair, ambitiouous and legally binding” agreement.

We felt that we needed to go, although we only were two, and were cheered on by the 24-7 family and our local community in Stockholm. In Copenhagen we met up with Bo, our dreadlocked champion, who does some 24-7 stuff in Denmark as well as joining up with some people campaigning with Tearfund for a wonderful brunch and prayer session.  Although it was a short 4 day visit, we wanted to be part of what might very well be 11 days that determine the fate of our planet.

We hooked up with a local congregation that are friends of the 24-7 movement who had decorated a fantastic Prayer Room just a 15 minute walk from downtown Copenhagen. As we know that God not only fills people, but also places, we prayed that God’s presence would be known in Copenhagen, and especially the Bella Center, where the conference is held. We prayed for justice for the smaller nations, that don’t have hordes of experts and delegates to convincingly argue for their cause. Countries like Chad, for example, only have a fraction as many delegates as many European and North American nations, making them unable to partake in all of the discussions as many of the talks are held simultaneously. We asked for God’s justice to be known, especially as the countries with the smallest carbon footprint need to carry the heaviest burden of climate change. Being part of the largest demonstration I’ve ever seen (reports say 35,000-100,000 people), hearing all kinds of languages spoken as we marched together, was a truly thrilling experience. The mere amount of creativity, the breadth of demonstrators, not only in terms of nationalities but also in ages and lifestyles was stunning. Both teenage anarchists, moms with children on their hips and bearded buinessmen marched, danced and sung together in the freezing cold. Despite the media focusing on the many arrests (some of them unjustly made I might add), the atmosphere was friendly and hopeful.

Late on Sunday we arrived back to Stockholm, thouroughly exhausted, but happy to be part of something much bigger than us.

The COP15 conference is not over yet, and there are big obstacles in the way of making the treaty as ”fair, ambitous and legally binding” as we would hope, but God is interested not only in beaming us into His presence to enjoy our retirement, but also for this planet here and now, His gift to us. Speaking to a large crowd, Desmond Tutu, the Archbishop of South Africa, said:

Do you believe you are on the winning side?
Do you believe that you have right on your side?
Do you believe you have justice on your side?
Do you believe you have God on your side?
Come on God! Do something!

And God says: Yes, I’m going to do something, and I’m going to have all of you being my partners working with me to make this a better world. 

As I am writing this there are three more days of the climate conference in Copenhagen. They will be some of the most important days and we need to be praying like never before. Please join us in praying that COP15 will lead to a responsible international treaty that will make God, our father, happy.