Prayers and a reflection for COP29 

Dave Gregory, convenor of the Baptist Union Environment Network (BUEN), offers a reflection and prayers points for COP29, which runs from 11-21 November in Baku, Azerbaijan

Fiddling while Rome burns - so says the legend of the burning of Rome in 64AD. The Emperor Nero looked on, playing his harp, celebrating the burning of the city which he set fire to so he could build a new, grander Rome. 

So said the rumours circulating after the fire, sparked by his grand re-building scheme including his new palace, The Golden House. It wasn’t true, yet he felt the heat of the fake news. So did the Christians, whom he blamed for starting the fire.

Closer to our time, back in early 2020 as the world was waking up to the Covid emergency, Greta Thunberg gathered with many other young people and adults at the Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate. This time, it wasn’t a city on fire. 'Our world is on fire,' she told the crowd.
  
Over the past four years, the fires have not died down. Ukraine.  Gaza, Israel, Lebanon. Sudan. In these and in many other places, the fire of human conflict burn causing untold suffering. 

More literally though, the world is on fire in many places, causing untold suffering. Forest fires across the Mediterranean and North Africa have become a feature of summer months. While over the Atlantic in Canada, the last few springs have seen vast forest fires, destroying homes, lives, nature. 

2024 will be the first year when the global temperature increase exceeds 1.5 degrees Centigrade, the aspirational level for limiting the impact of human caused climate change set at the Paris Climate Summit – COP21 – in 2015. 

Nine years on, COP29 is upon us. The annual gathering of national leaders, scientists, pressure groups and businesses in Baku in Azerbaijan, trying to find ways to mitigate the impact of climate change. 

Nine years on from Paris, emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise. But let’s recognise it’s not all bad news. 

Four years ago, BUEN – the Baptist Union Environment Network – launched with a webinar “Four Degree Shift – Discipleship in An Age of Climate Change.” 

“Four degrees” because this was the expected end of century temperature rise if carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were allowed to rise unchecked. With promises made by governments at subsequent COPs, we’d have to call it “Three Degree Shift” if we were launching BUEN this year.   

But this is still not enough to stop the world burning. And the challenge of what living as disciples of Jesus in an age of climate change remains for each of us.

COP meetings are never easy affairs. There are competing agendas making meaningful agreements difficult. More difficult when the world is as fragmented as it is.

And COP29 may be a difficult meeting. Finance, not carbon budgets, will be the focus: seeking to raise further funds from higher emitting, richer nations to support poorer countries to cut emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Loss and damage funding with the principle of the polluter pays.

While we see in the news a world burning, all this can seem a long way from our everyday following of Jesus. What can we do to fulfil the primary call of God to mission – “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (Gen 2:15) 

Prayer is good place for action to begin and over the next few weeks, the nations of a burning world need them. So, please join with BUEN and many others in praying for COP29.

• Pray for Commitments to be made by richer nations to support poor nations cope with the impacts of climate change that they feel now and increasingly so in the future.
• Pray for Oneness among the groups gathering in Baku; that the Spirit of God will be at work drawing people towards consensus of view and action that will meaningfully address the causes and consequences of climate change now and in the future,
• Pray that Progress will be made towards deeper cuts in carbon emissions, particularly from nations who have contributed most to the rises of warming gases in the past, and those who contribute most today.

As we look back to 64AD, Nero looked on over a city on fire. And the Christians got the blame.

As we look forward from 2024, and see a world on fire, I wonder who might get the blame - and whether the Christians will be on the list.

Or will we embrace the primary missional call of God to share in his care for creation and as Jesus’ disciples “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)?
 

Image | Dario Daniel Silva | Unsplash
 

Dave Gregory, Baptist Missioner for Science and Environment, and convenor of BUEN

Related: 

• What must we see at COP29, Baku, Azerbaijan? Joint Public Issues Team
• Church Leaders statement, Joint Public Issues Team - 'COP29 is an opportunity for governments to coordinate action to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. They must make pledges with purpose and integrity to avert climate-related suffering for this and future generations.' 
   

---

Do you have a view? Share your thoughts via our letters' page. 

 

---