COP26 - Day 4 #Together for Our Planet

                                                                                          First image in top scroll, Photo Credit: COP26 Kiara Worth

COP26 is the UN Conference on Climate. It is a series of conversations, negotiations, panels, and climate discussions. This is a two-week conference with world leaders, global thinkers, experts, and advocates. I am attending as a virtual delegate with the For the Love of Creation (and the United Church) team. To be honest, this year's conference has a feeling of cynicism. We question nations' commitments to change. After a year of extreme weather events, the announcements are too vague to be useful. That said, there are excellent educational sessions and inspiration for discussion that might start in Glasgow but will spread across the globe. In this first week, here are my suggestions for how to get involved:

How to Participate in COP26 sessions

All of us can access panel discussions live, and many of the major events are posted within hours of the event. All of these resources are available on the YouTube site here.

How to Stay Informed

In addition to connecting the sessions themselves, many faithful people are attending and reflecting on the COP26 conversation. 

• For example, the For Love of Creation Virtual Delegation. Our daily blog may be found here.
• Laudato Si is the Catholic response to Creation Care. It is an excellent source of information about COP26 and suggestions for action. Information may be found here.
• ACT Alliance is a group of 150 Canadian Churches. They have delegates in Glasgow, and their thoughts and comments may be found here.

How to Take Action

The next question is how to take action. This is a complicated issue. It is tempting to put off action until you find the perfect action, but many places start. There are many right ways to start. 

Here is one path to action:

Start in prayer. Listen to your breath and the whisper of the Holy Spirit. Wonder where in this conversation you are called. Then listen to your gifts. Where can your gifts bring energy to you and your community? Notice- you are not alone. Here are some groups to get started with.

In our churches

Join or start an eco-justice group at your church- for action and discussion.

For some thoughtful discussions to get this started, or engage more deeply, consider these resources. 

In our political circles

Advocacy groups are doing excellent work pushing for justice. For example, the BC Climate Emergency Campaign is coordinating and supporting political advocacy. Their work can be found here https://www.climateemergencyunit.ca/bc-climate-emergency-campaign

In our lives

Reduce emissions in your home, transportation, purchases, and investments. Here is a resource to start

In the forests

Every place has people working to preserve and restore Creation. In my neighborhood, it is the Streamkeepers who are doing excellent work and are excellent fun. Find that fellowship in your community by walking the greenspace and asking around. 

Finally, take care of your spirit and heart. 

• In fellowship in communities like Salal and Cedar.
• In meditation, here are some resources
• In face of a global crisis national leaders are making vague promises and insufficient commitments. We, as people of faith can do better. In our actions, in our communities and in our spiritual practices. We need to get started.

(A .PDF of this post is linked here for downloading and printing.)

Photo Credit: Jon Moore (unsplash)