Photo credit: COP29 at Baku: Photo by Paul Kagame CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The United Nations’ Council of the Parties (COP29) began on November 12th, the 29th gathering of global leaders, envoys, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and people of faith. Decisions made at COP affect every living thing on the planet, but these decisions especially affect hundreds of millions of the most vulnerable.
The talks wrapped up on November 25, three days later than scheduled. The delay was caused by lack of consensus as the most powerful, and most culpable nations resisted calls by those most harmed for compensation and clean-energy transition support. At the final conclusion, the agreements reached included a pledge of 300 billion US dollars annually in support and remediation.
People of faith have attended and been active at the global COP since its inception. Last year the faith community came together with unified strength, inaugurating a Faith Pavilion alongside the other spaces at COP. In this shared space, people from all faiths united to share witness and push for both justice and a new way forward.
United Methodists were part of the faith presence at COP29, as well. United Methodist Global Ministries, the General Board of Church and Society, and United Women in Faith have long been part of the COP conversation. In addition to the big agencies, United Methodist organizations, conferences, and church members have also been active in voice, prayer, and witness.
Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards is the United Methodist Climate and Energy Fellow working with both the General Board of Church and Society, Texas Impact, and Texas Interfaith Power and Light. She is a member of the Rio Texas Conference. Texas Impact and Rev. Edwards have been involved in a number of COPs.
As part of her effort at COP29, Rev. Edwards has been sharing her story, raising awareness, and seeking justice for those most impacted by the climate crisis. She shared her voice with others over the duration of the COP.
Texas Impact created a youtube playlist for updates from COP29 at Baku. As the delegates return home and begin to work to communicate what happened and what’s next, you can learn more about COP29 and the United Methodist witness at Baku with these videos and podcasts.
Texas Impact Weekly Witness Podcast with Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards
Methane: A Low Hanging Climate Solution, an update from Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards
Keep tuned in to hear more of Rev. Edward’s story in the weeks ahead.
In the meanwhile, a few articles about the role of faith communities and actions at COP29 can keep you informed and in the loop.
Photo credit: Indigenous leaders at COP29: Photo by Isaac Atkin-Mayne / FCDO CC BY 2.0
More about the Faith Pavilion:
From the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development
Hopes and Outcomes
LWF pushes for ambitious goals, just solutions, as COP29 draws toward a close. A reflection on the hope for the COP, from Lutheran World Federation.
Faith Pavilion at COP29 concludes with call for climate justice from Emirates News Agency.
Catholic officials blast $300B COP29 climate finance goal as too little from “Earthbeat,” part of the National Catholic Reporter.
How late $300bn deal left a sense of dissatisfaction and betrayal at Cop29, from The Guardian.
I’m glad we got a deal at Cop29 – but western nations stood in the way of a much better one. From The Guardian, an opinion piece from Mukhtar Babayev, president of the Cop29 UN climate change conference.