This conversation is part of a special episcopal training, Speaking Up for Climate Action. The original recording is available to view on the United Methodist Creation Justice channel. This transcript has been edited for clarity.
Jefferson Boye Knight, of the Liberia Annual Conference in West Africa, and Rev. Sharon Delgado, of the Cal-Nevada Annual Conference in the United States, are both members of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement’s Coordinating Team.
REV. SHARON DELGADO:
Hello, everyone. I’m Sharon Delgado, and I’m here to interview Jefferson Boye Knight on the topic of climate justice. This presentation is addressed to all of you who are here, including bishops, clergy, climate advocates, church leaders, anyone who is interested in finding out more about climate change and climate justice. And right now, especially, this is connecting with United Methodists.
Jefferson Boy Knight is the director of Human Rights Monitor, which is the United Methodist Peace with Justice program of the Liberia Annual Conference. Jefferson is also a Global Ministries EarthKeeper. He’s a climate advocate, a Liberia Annual Conference Advocate and Addiction Professional, and he’s part of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement.
He’s also a General Conference delegate.
I first met Jefferson at the United Methodist Building in Washington, D.C., when we were both part of the team that wrote the initial draft of the Community of God’s Creation section of the Revised Social Principles.
Jefferson, thank you for being here. I’m so glad to be able to have a conversation and to interview you today. Is there anything you would like to share before I get started bringing up discussion topics or asking questions.
JEFFERSON BOYE KNIGHT:
Thank you very much, Sharon, for the introduction. And I’m happy and very excited to be on this team to advocate and work in the best interests of the Earth and humanity. And I see this as an opportunity to work with friends, pastors, laypeople, community members, in the United States, Africa, and other parts of the world, in making sure that the Earth is protected, that the climate is reserved as God’s good, good gift that He has given to mankind. So yes, thank you for this great privilege.
I also want to extend my thanks to the bishops of our United Methodist church for standing up. We know they have been working to some extent in terms of addressing the climate crisis that we are faced with as people.
And I want to extend my thanks also to members of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, including all people of faith, who have been working in the best interest of humanity and the Earth to ensure that it is protected, and the destruction of the Earth is curtailed.
So again, thank you, Sharon, for this opportunity.
SHARON:
Yes, I wanted to mention that I am also part of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement Coordinating Team, and I am also convener of Fossil Free UMC.
So the first thing I want to mention is that we United Methodists face vastly different contexts in the different regions of our global church. I’m from Northern California. We are surrounded here in my area by forests. And we’ve experienced for years, on and off years, some extended droughts. We have less of a snowpack. We have “fire season,” which used to be a few months out of the year, but it’s now year-round.
Every year there are fires nearby and evacuations. Almost every year, one member or other of my family has to evacuate their homes, including this year, just a couple of weeks ago. There’s the big upheaval [of having to evacuate], and people are very on edge about fire. Everyone’s got their Go Bags. I live about an hour and a half away from the little town of Paradise, which has a similar terrain of mountains and forests, and that town was burned up, and nothing left pretty much in just a matter of hours.
The thing about here, being part of the United States, is that many of us have fire insurance. We have house insurance that includes fire insurance. While unfortunately, a lot of us are getting that cut from our insurance policies. But we can still get a wraparound kind of a policy, a backup policy, that’s just for fire.
There are still people, though, who can’t afford that. And, those rates are still going up. When they lose their homes, they lose everything.
Still, here in the United States, we have government help, we have the Federal Emergency Management, FEMA, and so there’s often help afterwards, which isn’t always true in every country.
So, fire danger is one way that we’re impacted here. And I want to ask Jefferson:
How are people and communities in your region in West Africa impacted by climate change?
JEFFERSON:
Yes, thank you, Sharon, for that very important question.
You know, climate change is affecting every fabric of our society, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, with specific focus on West Africa. Climate change is causing irreversible damage. Including coastal communities that have been affected, villages that have been affected, and agricultural activities, as well as urban areas that have been affected.
And the interesting thing about the impact of climate change on our society in Sub-Saharan Africa, with specific focus on West Africa, Liberia particularly, has to do with lack of support.
You talk about insurance. Developed countries have those kinds of safety nets. Those are safety nets. We don’t have those kinds of safety nets in most of the countries around Africa, because we are still dealing with poverty issues. We are still dealing with our health issues. We are still dealing with a serious unemployment issue, where young people do not have employment. Then, on top of that, climate change continues to impact our communities and impact our people. It continues to increase poverty.
We do not have those kinds of safety nets in terms of insurance to cover climate disasters and other issues, the problems that come with climate change, the consequences, and what have you. As a result, communities have been wiped out and destroyed. It has created mass displacement.
For example, one of the most populated communities in Liberia, is in Monrovia, the capital city. When we were growing up, I remember, when I was a kid, coming from the interior, from central Liberia, into Monrovia where we visited the West Point Township. I used to play soccer on the beach, we called it football. And, those places we used to play are gone. Right now, after like 15 years, we can’t see those houses any longer. The sea has erased those entire communities.
And there has been no insurance to cover all the destruction of those homes. So, it has made those people displaced. It has increased poverty. Now there’s a street, a road that enters West Point Township. That road is completely cut off by the sea as the sea is coming inland.
One of the administrations, I think this was under the past government 12 years ago, they tried to build seawalls by bringing rocks from the mountains and other areas to help, to some extent. I think they got some funding from the meager budget that we have, the national budget, but that could not even suffice. Today, West Point Township is a complete, complete history in terms of the reality that all of the lands, all of the different activities where we went, the beaches that we had for recreational activity, they’re all gone.
That’s just one example. No insurance to cover that destruction. People are suffering. They have to continue their lives. Government is contending with other social issues, priorities that compete with climate change.
Liberia doesn’t even contribute, around 0.0%, to greenhouse gas emissions, [Liberia accounted for <0.01% of the world’s CO2 emissions in 2024] but we continue to feel the brunt like other African countries, and developing countries. Yet, climate impacts are so negative. Without safety nets in terms of insurance, what about the farming activities and all other climate change consequences?
Like, for example, in my village. In central Liberia where I grew up 20 years ago, going back into this village, I can remember, when we were kids we had rivers around our town. As we speak, those rivers are completely gone, dried. We went into the waters, we played, we caught fish, we ran around, we did things, we interacted with friends in the water. But as we speak? No. You cannot even see some of those rivers anymore. You can’t find them. They’re completely dried up.
And my parents and grandparents, because I lived with my grandparents as a kid growing up, we walked, like, one to two hours every morning to go to the farm. We harvested rice, but nowadays—
I was in central Liberia last month and asking the farmers, “what is happening to the fields, to the harvest?” and what have you. Things are tough. The weather patterns and the weather conditions have changed massively due to climate change. Some of those farmers, subsistence farmers, can’t produce because they do not have the technology to adapt to the climate reality, climate change reality, and what have you. We do not have the insurance to help, so as a result—
Can you imagine, 20 years, 25, 30 years ago, we got produce from the villages and towns, like peppers, like bitter balls [similar to eggplant] and other vegetables, coming to Monrovia. But nowadays, some of the villages in the interior and other parts of the rural areas, they come to Monrovia, the urban city, to take vegetables and fruits to those interior and rural communities because of the negative pattern in the weather condition due to climate change.
And again, like I said, innocent, innocent people are experiencing the negative impact of climate change. So yes, and there are no safety nets. No insurance like in developed countries. We see on CNN, on the news, international broadcasters. When disasters strike due to climate change and other environmental issues, there are quick, emergency interventions and what have you. But here? No.
Like, last month, we had flooding all over Monrovia, in many of the densely populated communities. They were flooding all over the place. You can ask me, ‘where were some of the benefits to those communities?’ I can give you videos upon videos of people suffering due to climate change. There was no intervention in terms of rescuing them.
Putting them into a facility and relocating them? No. You could see pregnant women, you could see children, babies’ mothers standing on top of the chairs and what have you, while their homes were flooded.
You know, I sat and cried. I said, “wow, why is this happening?” There’s no intervention, because the government has competing priorities. They have an allocated budget and there is nothing in the budget to see how they can help support those kinds of climate disaster activities and what have you. So yes, to answer your question. Those are challenges.
Those are challenges. And not just in Liberia, but if you go to Nigeria, you go to Ghana, you go to Sierra Leone, Guinea, Kenya, all the different countries, these are things that we’re grappling with. How do we solve this challenge of climate change, the consequences that impact our communities? How do we address them?
How do we tackle them when governments do not have adequate resources in terms of tackling these issues, including insurance and other interventions? Some of the programs that the government, our government, other governments around Africa, have established include the Red Cross, and sometimes the Red Crescent, to intervene in those kinds of disaster issues. But, we have not really seen the kind of intervention to help based on what I have documented personally, as a Climate Champion.
SHARON:
Jefferson, what I’m hearing from you reminds me of the fact that we know that many of the low-wealth nations are experiencing the first and worst impacts of climate change.
Those nations are experiencing the impacts first and worst, and also, they are the ones with the low and lowest historic emissions. So, how do you understand this? The disproportionate causes? And the disproportionate impacts?
That’s what we call climate injustice. That’s why we’re talking about climate justice, because it’s disproportionate causes and impacts. I’m wondering what you’re thinking about that.
JEFFERSON:
Yes, because low-wealth nations, like I said, historically, have low emissions when it comes to greenhouse gas. And, wealthy nations or developed, quote unquote, nations are the highest polluters of the Earth’s atmosphere. But, they have all the technology and all the wealth and everything.
But countries, like the low-wealth nations, continue to feel the burden and historically have not contributed much. I was reading, and one climate scientist said, “if you put everything together, it’s about 10% from low-wealth nations, in terms of greenhouse emissions.”
So, why aren’t we talking? Look at the disproportional impacts. You have technology, you have the wealth, you have the experience and everything. So, in order to balance the disproportional aspect of climate change, and what have you, there should be a transfer of technology. There should be support to communities that continue to feel the impact, coastal communities, villages and towns, so that we can regulate the consequences that come with climate change in terms of adaptation, education, training, and major support. That kind of stuff.
So that’s what I see. I don’t know whether I answered your question, Sharon.
SHARON:
Thank you. Thank you, Jefferson.
Our churches, we’ve been talking about how the vastly different levels of wealth, different impacts, and some of these disproportionate impacts, is based on historical colonialism.
So, what might non-colonial approaches to climate change look like?
JEFFERSON:
I think one of the ways in which we can address the non-colonial aspect of climate change is to involve communities impacted by climate change in the decision-making process. That will help. You cannot decide for me without me. You know?
That is colonial. Grossly colonial. You cannot decide for me in terms of addressing the climate change crisis, or the climate change impact, and other situations without me, my voice. In order for us to address the colonial aspect of climate change, people can’t sit at the UN, or, at General Conference, or, in Geneva, or New York, the UN headquarters and other international organizations, and decide. Those voices from communities from different nations that continue to feel the brunt of climate change need to be involved, need to be involved in that decision-making.
Whether at the church level, civil society level, the UN level, or the IMF (International Monetary Fund). The voices of the people need to be part of it. You cannot discuss issues that they are confronted with without them. No.
So, yes, that’s one way I think we can address that, and the issue of helping, and of relief, as well as supporting communities directly. Sometimes the UN, church institutions, and other organizations will want to pass to the government, I know. Yes, I see that. But reaching out directly to those communities that have been impacted would make all this sense for me instead of passing, of going to, quote, unquote, a government and what have you, where sometimes those monies do not reach, or the support does not reach, the communities that are affected.
So yes, getting the voice of the people who are affected at the table to decide is paramount, “What are the things?” So you hear directly from them. You can’t decide for the people without their voice.
SHARON:
Thank you.
Okay, there is an idea in climate justice circles that, together with people in diverse regions, we all have common goals but differentiated responsibilities. Our common goal is ‘a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy to prevent global catastrophe.’ But some nations are already close to net-zero emissions, like the continent of Africa, and need energy investment as a matter of survival.
So, how do technology transfers fit into this? Why not just let all the fossil fuel major corporations flood Africa as they are beginning to do and trying to do. How do technology transfers fit into our goal of phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to renewables globally?
JEFFERSON:
I’ve had that discussion with many climate change actors, in Liberia and other parts of Africa, and they’re having this debate. I agree with you. I’ve read your book, some of your manuscripts, and other scientific writings about the issue of transitioning from fossil fuels and into green energy.
So, yes. As an EarthKeeper and Climate Change Champion, in order to save the Earth we need to go away from fossil fuels. I agree with that 100%. But the challenge with other folks has been, why. Why should we need a green transition, and zero emissions, and leaving fossil fuels and transitioning to all the different technologies that will help protect the Earth?
The question and the debate has been, “So how do you expect developing countries or low-wealth countries to develop?” And when developed countries or rich nations use fossil fuel to develop their own nations, and today they have the different industries and industrializations and all the different things, and we are just coming into that reality, we also want to—that has been the argument—“We also want to use fossil fuel to industrialize so that we can also catch up with the rest of the world.”
But again, doing that, as vast as Africa is, that will mean destroying completely the Earth’s atmosphere. Because, for example, Liberia has 44% of the Guinea Rainforest that is helping to absorb and stabilize the Earth’s atmosphere when it comes to the destruction of the Earth through greenhouse gas emissions. So if Liberia and other countries in Africa say, “We will continue with fossil fuels, to develop, or for industrialization purposes,” and what have you. That would be disaster. That would be my position, that would be disaster.
The need for us to transition from fossil fuel is paramount in terms of balancing the Earth’s atmosphere for the next generation of our children. Our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, our children to come, who are unborn, need to have a protected Earth, have a safe earth space, so that they can live happily. Yes.
So, Sharon, the need for us to adapt and transition away from fossil fuels is paramount, but again, that will require a transfer of technology. That will also require support.
It will require technology in the area of agriculture, technology in the area of solar, green technology and all the different things. And again, some of those technologies are very expensive. So it’s about working—the church advocating, including climate change actors, champions, and civil society groups working and advocating—to ensure that rich and developed nations, and including the World Bank, and the IMF, support low-wealth nations with the technology required so that we can all adapt and save the Earth.
I think that is the just thing to do. The just thing to do is transitioning away from fossil fuels, but that will not come easy. We need to advocate, we need to engage governments, including developed countries and developing countries.
The Church has a prophetic voice—our bishops and church leaders. We need to stand as civil society organizations, a lot of people of faith coming together forming that coalition to help proffer the kind of advocacy that we need that will save the Earth. It’s an urgency. I can tell you it is an urgency. It’s not about time to relax. This is an urgent matter that we all need to address when it comes to that.
So, yes. With support, technology and everything, yes, I feel that within the next 10, 15 to 20 years, we can achieve that.
And let me just add quickly— I was just listening today on the news that Texas, the state of Texas in the United States of America, it has demonstrated the highest moral responsibility when it comes to greenhouse technology with solar and wind energy and transitioning from fossil fuels. I don’t know, but I just saw it on the news briefly, like for five minutes.
I think that can happen in Africa and other parts of the world as well.
SHARON:
Thank you. You and I have talked about how Africa is the perfect place for solar. There’s so much opportunity for solar power.
JEFFERSON:
Oh, yeah. 60%. 60% of the potential for sun energy.
We have 60%, but again, energy is very expensive, very expensive. Somebody in a village in Bukonjida, for example, southeast Liberia, that is just living hand-to-mouth, we will call it. Somebody who is subsistence farming cannot afford to purchase solar power for, like, $1000, $2,000 or $3,000 that can be used for the next 10, 15 years without using a generator.
SHARON:
Well, I also understand that it’s more expensive there because it’s harder to get loans for purchase of solar.
JEFFERSON:
It is.
SHARON:
In addition to technology transfers, in climate justice circles there’s a lot of talk about direct aid, investment, debt waivers, loss and damage, so, fair climate finance.
Why is fair climate finance essential for a rapid transition and a just transition to a sustainable future?
JEFFERSON:
This is key. This question is key.
If we must achieve rapid transition, then in the issue of climate financing, rich nations should play their role, should commit themselves to contributing to the goal that has been set for support, including financial support and all the different technology. There must be rapid transition from fossil fuel.
The other issue that has to do with debt waiver, and cancellation is key. It’s paramount. [See also from Jefferson Boye Knight, Unjust Burden]
Africa—I was reading last week from somewhere—African nations alone have, I think, $2 trillion in debt to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and other rich nations.
Two to three trillion dollars in debt. Are you kidding me? How do you expect—when countries in Africa, low-wealth countries, let’s just put it like that—are grappling with paying those debts, those huge amounts, and at the same time fighting to ensure that their people survive from climate disaster. [See also Wealthy Nations owe climate debt to Africa.]
Because African nations have debt to pay, some of those debts that they receive, instead of using those monies on other social activities like education, health, agriculture and housing, and all the different things, or creating the atmosphere for job creation—no. While climate change activities are impacting and destroying communities, they have to use those funds to support and service debt.
At the same time, then the World Bank, or IMF, and the other rich nations that African nations have credit from are knocking on their doors for repayment. It doesn’t make sense. In order for us to achieve rapid transition, transitioning from fossil fuel and the issue of and green technology and all the different things needed to achieve that, then the debt with us should be something that should come on the table, so that our African countries can have the opportunity to address those and other issues.
So, debt reform, Sharon, it’s very key in the fight against climate change and ensuring that there is a rapid transition addressing all the different things we’re talking about. Achieving a debt waiver and climate financing will help to a major extent, a major extent, in addressing this issue. Then countries, especially low-wealth countries, will have resources to pay attention to their communities, their nations, their people, and all the different things that have to do with the climate disaster that we’re facing.
So yes, we want to use this opportunity to ask our bishops, and including other civil society actors, to call on rich nations, governments, and church leaders, that this is the time for a debt waiver—we call it debt justice—so that low-wealth nations can have the opportunity to pay attention to the climate change situation that different countries are faced with in order that we can just have peace and the protection of the Earth moving forward.
That is very important.
SHARON:
Thank you. The thing about debt is that it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger. It just keeps increasing exponentially. There’s kind of no way out except to get another loan to just survive.
Jefferson, I understand that you have specific and detailed plans to continue a Climate Champions Program in West Africa, a program you developed under the auspices of the United Methodist Church. It began after you were trained as a Global Ministries EarthKeeper, and you have done a lot of work since that time.
What is the Climate Champions Program about?
JEFFERSON:
The Climate Champions Program is about continuing the fight, continuing advocacy, and education, and encouraging governments, and also our churches, community leaders, and international organizations, to pay attention—keen attention—to the climate change crisis that we are faced with.
I was inspired to form the program because, despite all of the climate change situations that have been happening, we did not take notice. People are—and even right now—most people are not paying attention to it. So I started reading, and seeing flooding, and going back to my village and seeing those rivers, and some of those rivers are dried. It drew my concern. I started hearing about climate change. It was a new topic for new phenomena.
I started reading more and listening more to the news. I saw articles from UMCOM about the creation care ministry, organized by Global Ministries. I said, “Oh, wow. This is great.” That’s how I became part of it. I applied to the EarthKeeper’s training when Pat Watson was organizing. I applied, and I was accepted from Africa.
I attended the first training and I began to understand the intricacies, all the different things that have to do with climate change. For 3 to 4 years, I was training, getting training, getting basic support and what have you.
I came back to Africa after the Paris Climate Conference and I decided to work with communities and schools, especially young people. I understand that this climate change situation or crisis, if it is not addressed now the next generation of young people, even the unborn kids, will feel the brunt of it. And they will blame us.
They will blame us. They will say we didn’t do anything, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid.
So, when I came back, being inspired, I decided to work with my church, my conference, which is the Liberia Annual Conference, the United Methodist Church, and especially the young people in schools. We launched our Climate Change Champions Program in celebration of Peace with Justice Sunday in 2012. We used that month in commemoration of the celebration of Peace of Justice Sunday to talk about climate change and the impacts.
Then, we selected one of the coastal communities in the city of Buchanan, Ambassador County, to launch that program. We brought ten schools together and paraded through the streets of Buchanan. We chose Buchanan as it is a coastal city that is being destroyed rapidly by sea erosion.
What we decided to do was to plant trees. We planted, I think, 250 trees, and that was just that day. We had 2,500 trees in the nursery. We did that, and we had different speeches from the county leadership, the traditional people, and youth representatives talking about the impact of climate change.
I was shocked when I heard that the people wouldn’t say anything. A decision for communities that have been affected should not be made without their voice. And I listened to the voices of the people who came and they narrated their stories. It was so intriguing, disappointing as well.
From those activities, I decided to launch the Climate Champions Program by recruiting young people from across the different annual conferences of West Africa, including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, then the different districts we have, and Cameroon, Senegal, the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, and Cote d’Ivoire, bringing all of these young people together as Champions.
The idea was to train them and redeploy them to go back to work with communities in terms of training, advocacy, working with faith leaders, including Christian, non-Christian, Muslims, and traditional leaders, to see how we can inform, educate, and publicize the disaster of climate change. We did this so that our government representatives, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency—because all of the different countries have that arm in the government—can hear directly from those communities affected. The right representatives from those communities can then attend some of those climate change conferences around the world.
We do not have the voices of our people. It is just EPA representatives and what have you. So the Climate Champions will be advocating as the representative of those communities that have been impacted by the climate change situation, like sea erosion, the weather patterns, famine, and all the different things that have been affected. Let one or two representatives come and government should be able to ask international partners to support those people as representatives in terms of transportation, housing and lodging. It’s just one or two or three days so that the voices can be heard. It’s not about the EPA or the government representing every time.
They will need those who have been affected directly, their voice, to be at the table. The Climate Champions Program will be involved in such advocacy, education, and ensuring that the issue of cancellation of debt, debt waiver, climate financing, and all those things are reminding our government and international partners, including international organizations from the World Bank, IMF, the United Nations, the United States government, European Union, and all the different people, to the African Union, the ECWAS, all these regional bodies, working until they see. Also the program will work to write letters to representatives, senators, those kinds of legislative advocacy activities. That’s what we intend to do.
Because we need to be robust, Sharon. If we are sitting quietly, this whole Earth may be overwhelmed by the sea, by the different aspects of climate change, the heat, fire disasters, like you talk about California. We need action, and we do not have the technology.
How do we transition from fossil fuel? Look at the different consequences. Why fossil fuel use has costs through industrialization and what have you. How we address colonial activities when it comes to addressing climate change? Those kinds of things, that’s what we’ll be involved with.
So, yes. And I need the support of our church. I need the support of our bishops. I need the support of our general agencies, such as the General Board of Church and Society and Global Ministries. We need the support of churches in the United States, Europe, and around the world to make this happen.
We can’t sit anymore.
We need to create the awareness. We need to educate our people. Most of our people, Sharon, do not even know what is happening—don’t even know. Do not have one idea. Some of them are saying that the end time is coming, Jesus will be coming. And that is why these things are happening. Who told you about climate change? How do we learn, it is because of seeing the consequences, because of the kind of work we have done, the destruction we have brought on Mother Earth. Fossil fuels is one of the main drivers of what is happening.
They don’t know.
Those are the things the Climate Champions Program is all about, Sharon, and we need support. We need moral support. We need the technical support and we need the financial resources to move forward. I’ve written a few proposals, and I’ll be sharing them with some of our general agencies to support our cause.
SHARON:
Very important. And just a reminder to everyone who’s listening, it is a matter of justice, and that’s why we call it climate justice. But it’s also a matter of asking, how are we going to have an overarching plan for global sustainability and reducing the emissions that are in the atmosphere, rather than having them go up and up and up? It’s about our global survival, and climate justice is an essential aspect of that.
Jefferson, I’m going to let you say the final words for this conversation. But I want to thank everybody for being present and giving your attention to these important matters of climate justice. I encourage everyone who’s been watching to do what you can to educate people about these issues and to create partnerships with impacted people, and partnerships for climate justice throughout the church.
Jefferson, I leave the last words to you.
JEFFERSON:
Thank you again, Sharon, and thank you to those watching this interview.
We need your prayers. We need your support. We need partnership to make this a reality, especially with the Climate Change Champions Program that we have established. We need partnership and technical support. Our bishops, our church leaders, other people of faith, this is about time that we work together to ensure that the climate change crisis, climate change impacts, and this climate change situation is addressed. We need to have a global system that will be enjoyed by all of us, in terms of the Earth, in terms of the atmosphere and everything.
We can’t leave this in the hands of politicians. We cannot leave this in the hands of people that don’t understand exactly what is happening. That is why the church, the voice of the church, the prophetic voice of the church, is needed most at this time.
The church has so much influence just right here across Africa, Liberia, and other places in Africa. The church has that prophetic voice, that command, that influence. That is why we are keen and calling on the church and our bishops to do this, so that they can lend their voices. You’ve been doing it already, you’ve been doing it.
We want you to do more so that the Earth can survive, so that we can survive, so that the next generation of our children, and grandchildren, can come and say, “Yes, our fathers that came before us did it.” And they will be proud of us, and even when we are in heaven, God will celebrate our actions while we’re here on Earth.
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Thank you.