The 4^th Lausanne Congress and the Global Creation Care Forum (GCCF) were both important for the future of creation care globally. Don’t miss this update from those who were there! 

Leaders from around the world will share their reflections on both these events. We will also introduce the statement/invitation ‘Good News for all the Earth’—there will be time for questions!

Time: 11.00 am – 12.00pm UTC, repeated 7.00pm – 8.00pm UTC | Date: 12 December 2024

The webinar will be on Zoom and is free entry.

Sign up here: https://buytickets.at/lwccn/1451019, choosing which timing you prefer!

Please note that there is an optional donation to cover LWCCN’s costs.

If you haven’t yet seen it, this short video below from GCCF is well worth a view!

In this issue, we feature two thought-provoking pieces on COP29:

1. The first, by climate scientist Dr. Katharine Hayhoe. Katharine provides a summary of the outcomes and gaps at COP 29. She critically examines the balance between the bold pledges for coal phaseouts, and the frustrating lack of progress on fossil fuel commitments.

2. Then, news from Jocabed Solano, a theologian and activist, from the indigenous Gunadale natio in Panama. You would be familiar with Jocabed—we published her interview in relation to COP16 in our previous issue! She has shared this statement from the World Council of Churches on COP29.

Jocabed pictured here with Samuel Chiu (part of A Rocha Canada) at COP 29.

We would like to draw your attention to an A Rocha-hosted conversation by Dr Rodel Lasco, A Rocha International Trustee and Director of the Oscar M Lopez Center. Rodel is a member of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), an expert on biodiversity, and a pastor.

“Our planetary life support systems are starting to fray under the weight of human activities. Come and hear Rodel’s appraisal of the current state of biodiversity globally, how we can respond with hopeful action, and the exciting plans for A Rocha’s growing presence in South East Asia.”

Time: 13.00 – 14.00 UTC | Date: 11 November 2024

Tickets (free! with an optional donation to A Rocha) are available here.

By the time you get this issue of The Pollinator, COP16 in Cali, Colombia will have concluded. But what is ‘the other COP’ and why does it matter to us as Christians … and to everyone else?

Firstly, to clear up any confusion, COP is UN jargon and simply means ‘Conference of Parties’ so there are numerous different COPs, not just the better-known Climate ones. COP16 is the 16^th global gathering on biodiversity. Some foundational questions:

Why does biodiversity matter?The Nature Conservancy, with Prof Katharine Hayhoe as Chief Sicentist, states: “Biodiversity is the bedrock of life on Earth, underpinning our global economy, combating climate change, and sustaining the food systems that nourish the world. Yet, we are witnessing an unprecedented crisis: habitats are vanishing, and up to a million species face extinction, threatening the lives and livelihoods of the billions of people who depend on them.”

Why was COP16 so important?COP15 in 2022 saw the Kunming-Montreal Protocol at which governments committed to stopping biodiversity loss globally by 2030. This agreement is as important for biodiversity as the 2015 Paris Agreement was for climate. Yet, most of the detail was left to be sorted later, and by the start of COP16 only 23 out of 196 countries had submitted comprehensive plans. COP16’s theme was ‘Peace with Nature’ calling for a new relationship between humanity and the earth. A Rocha states: “This aligns with A Rocha’s vision of a world where nature flourishes as people live equitably and sustainably.”
Key issues include:

• Protecting 30% of the earth for nature by 2030
• Financing of nature conservation. Only 2 countries had met their targets prior to COP16.
• Putting indigenous communities at the heart of conservation. Indigenous people are 5% of the global population yet it’s calculated they protect 80% of biodiversity (FAO report).
• Reforming how business uses nature (tackling biopiracy and harmful subsidies, getting businesses to disclose their impact on nature).

What’s this got to do with Christian faith? A Rocha’s statement says: “For Christians, caring for the earth is rooted in God’s concern for life in all its variety. This theme is woven throughout the Bible, … and we are accountable for our use or abuse of the earth and its creatures”. COP16 has seen greater Christian engagement than previous biodiversity COPs and amongst LWCCN members, Juliana Morillo from Colombia has been part of the host team, Jocabed Solano represented the World Council of Churches, and A Rocha’s delegation has included Sarah French (A Rocha International), Seth Appiah-Kubi and Daryl Bosu (A Rocha Ghana), Avinash Krishnan (A Rocha India), María de los Ángeles La Torre Cuadros (A Rocha Peru) and Cyrie Sendashonga (Rwanda, consultant).

For more see A Rocha’s summary and Jocabed’s interview.

Please continue to pray with us that conversations at COP16 will turn into firm commitments from governments, businesses and that we will indeed see ‘Peace with Nature’, shalom in our common home.

WUF12’s Faith Pavilion is the latest development of a decade-long engagement and trust building between UN-Habitat and religious organizations spearheaded by the WEA. The pavilion provides a space and a platform for faith organizations, leaders, and practitioners to explicitly engage in dialogue about urban development from a religious perspective, learn from the global community of urban experts, practitioners, and agencies, as well as find ways to collaborate in designing, building, and funding sustainable urban development for the common good. 

With sessions on housing, resilience, creation care, social cohesion, and so on, the pavilion will showcase impactful, faith-based initiatives and foster cross-sector collaboration for the sustainable, inclusive, and just cities we need.  

Learn more here.

Looking ahead, we plan on hosting Faith Pavilions at all future WUF’s (every two years) and hosting a UN-Habitat Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campus in the in-between years. If this is an area of interest, do consider submitting a presentation for the forthcoming Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campus in 2025 (dates and submission details TBD) and/or participating in the Faith Pavilion at WUF13.  

For more information contact Chris Elisara at celisara@worldea.org. 

So, there has been much anticipation about two recent major global gatherings in South Korea. The 4^th Lausanne Congress, 22^nd-28^th September, was vast, with over 5,200 in-person delegates from 200+ countries joined by thousands more online. The hospitality of the Korean church was wonderful: we were greeted and served by over a thousand cheerful volunteers who had used their holiday to help. There were many good things that emerged, yet from a creation care perspective Lausanne 4 was a mixed bag. Positives included a superb plenary talk by Katharine Hayhoe and four afternoon ‘GAP’ sessions on ‘Creation Care and the Vulnerable’ where there were many new faces and a real buzz. However, sadly, there was a lot of disposable plastic, much of the programme focused on a narrow definition of mission and it felt as if creation care was seen as simply one of many special interest groups rather than core to discipleship and mission. We clearly still have much work to do within Lausanne!

The three Lausanne Creation Care Catalysts: Dave Bookless, Benita Simon, Jasmine Kwong

The second gathering was the GCCF – Global Creation Care Forum – held in the beautiful, forested hills of the Somang Retreat Centre in Gonjiam, with more than a 100 people from over 40 countries. GCCF was planned as a kind of ‘Jamaica 2’, in reviewing how the creation care movement has grown, listening to global voices, and discerning next steps. Most sessions were interactive, with stories, table-discussions and resource-sharing, but we also had input on theology and science, time in regional and thematic groups, and intense discussions throughout mealtimes and often late into the night. There was lament and mourning over the state of our world and the paralysis of many of our leaders. There was also laughter and joy, as friendships were deepened, connections were fostered and plans discussed. We are developing a document, called ‘The Gonjiam Invitation: Good News for all the Earth’ with two sections: the first giving a solid biblical basis for the Gospel as God’s good news for all the earth and creation care as core to mission, and the second spelling out the concrete actions that need to be taken at every level from the personal to the planetary. Once this is complete, we’ll share it through The Pollinator and invite you to sign it as well as share it with others. We will also share more reports, videos, resources and stories from the GCCF over the coming months! This short video gives you a taste!

The Global Creation Care Forum in Gonjiam included people from over 40 countries

Overall, my sense after Lausanne 4 and the GCCF is that creation care is an unstoppable force! As I was writing this, waiting between flights in Hong Kong, a complete stranger sat next to me, saw I was writing about creation care and excitedly asked if she could join the movement! From every part of the world Christians are being challenged by the ecological chaos around us to turn to God and the bible for wisdom, and the Holy Spirit is calling more and more individuals and organisations to transform their priorities in caring for God’s world.

Dave Bookless, Lausanne Catalyst for Creation Care

We’ll be sure to share the Urban Placemaking recording once we have it, but in the meanwhile, here are a few nuggets from that conversation:

“Christian Placemaking is a faith-based, community-engaged, and sustainable process of creating spaces that embody the principles of creation care, social and environmental justice, and holistic well-being. It seeks to honor the inherent dignity of every person, empower communities through participatory involvement, and reflect the values of God’s Kingdom in the built environment.” Chris Elisara

Helpful books on a Christian understanding of place and particularly urban spaces:

• Philip Sheldrake: The Spiritual City: Theology, Spirituality, and the Urban
• Craig G. Bartholomew: Where Mortals Dwell: A Christian View of Place for Today
• Eric O. Jacobsen: The Space Between
• Timothy Gorringe: A Theology of the Built Environment
• Philip Bess: Till We Have Built Jerusalem

Lausanne 4 will run from 22^nd to 28^th September while GCCF is slated to take place from 28^th September to 2^nd October. Please pray for the safety of all our delegates, especially those from many countries who will be representing creation care, in addition to the necessary finance and visa matters.

Pray for Katharine Hayhoe and Ruth Padilla De Borst who will be speaking at a plenary session on the first night of the Lausanne Congress, that the state of God’s world and our calling to care for it might be at the heart of Lausanne’s deliberations.

Pray too for the afternoon sessions on ‘Creation Care & the Vulnerable’ where Jasmine Kwong and Dave Bookless will be ‘Content Specialists’, and for many good informal interactions throughout.

As for our GCCF, please pray for Jasmine, Dave and Ryoung Kim who are the main organisers, working with others to sort out visas, finances, programme, stories to be shared, online access and much more.

Time: 13.00 UTC (14.00 BST) | Date: 9 July 2024

Registration link: https://shorturl.at/HrFTb

Mark your calendars! The next LWCCN Webinar is here!

Join us in a couple of days for an inspiring webinar on Placemaking and Creation Care: A Christian Perspective, where we delve into the intersection of Christian faith, community, urban design, and creation care.

Dr. Chris Elisara, director of the WEA Sustainability Center, and friends will discuss the biblical foundations for Christian placemaking, offering toolsets and skillsets to help transform cities, towns, and neighborhoods into thriving places commensurate with God’s vision of shalom. Whether you’re a community leader, church member, or passionate creation care advocate, this webinar will help equip you to reimagine and work towards creating thriving cities, towns, and villages, which by definition are ecologically sustainable.

Register now to be part of this transformative conversation!

• Learn from the past, sharing how LWCCN has grown from the Jamaica Consultation & Call to Action in 2012, through 12 regional conferences until today
• Assess where we are, sharing experiences, stories and progress from around the world
• Plan for the future: seeking God’s guidance as we seek to integrate Creation Care into the life and mission of God’s Church worldwide

If you’re interested in attending please fill in the form here before 30^th April (this doesn’t commit you to attending or paying, but helps us plan).

The GCCF will cost c.$500 (to be confirmed, including all board, accommodation, and conference costs). The forum will be held at Nine Tree Premier Hotel, Myeongdong II. Seoul, South Korea