As the COP17 negotiations enter their final few days the pressure is on and the stakes couldn't be higher.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the assembly on Tuesday stoking continued fears that no extensive agreement may be possible in Durban. "We must be realistic about expectations for a breakthrough, or even for our success, in Durban... A comprehensive and binding agreement may be beyond our reach for now,” he said. "Grave economic troubles in many countries... abiding political differences... conflicting priorities and strategies for responding to climate change.” Not exactly words of inspiration from the leader of the global body. But, as is often the case with Ki-moon's addresses, his focus was firmly planted in reality with a touch of optimism. “We must pull back from the abyss. You are the people to pull us back from the edge", he bolstered the delegates,“I therefore urge you: carefully consider the proposals that have been advanced here.... do not create a vacuum."

If I have learned one thing from my time in Durban this past week it is that these issues are far more complicated than I could have ever imagined. With that said, I believe a huge part of the problem is the nature by which the United Nations operates, as a governing body. Its ironic that the COP17 delegation was urged to "be realistic" when the very structure in place often produces and environment of unrealistic potential. Because of this, more distrust and frustration has built up and is pouring out both within the ICC* and throughout the streets of Durban and around the world.

Much of this frustration has been channeled in the various "Occupy" movements around the globe. As I explained in an earlier post, the Occupy COP17 group has brought together people from across the globe to one space, adjacent from the ICC*. It is a sad reality that the economic crisis has fully hijacked the COP negotiations, but certainly not a surprise. Please pardon the pun, but the perfect storm was brewing before we even got to Durban. 

Don't for one minute think that I, or other members of the Inter-Faith delegation are "throwing in the towel" at this point. There are a couple long days left to be spent at the negotiation table and we must remain at the very least hopeful. "We have faith" has been the rallying cry of this year's Inter-Faith Youth COP17 Caravan and that sentiment is more powerful now than at any other point in the past 10 days! We MUST have faith, not only in the potential for a successful outcome in Durban, but also in our future work together as people of faith. We do have faith, now we must show it to the world. Join us in continuing to pray for a positive outcome by week's end, one that puts the planet and its people before profits and power!

*ICC=International Convention Centre (Durban)

An estimated 4,000 people rallied for climate justice last Sunday at the Multi-Faith Rally at Kings Park. This past Saturday 6,500 people took to the streets of Durban to join in the Global Day for Action march. And on Sunday evening many joined together in prayer and reflection at the Interfaith Prayer Service on the campus of the Durban University of Technology.

All of these events were rooted in the moral principles that unite the various religions of the world in attendance. Principles of faith, hope, justice, compassion, and love have been woven throughout the fabric of each gathering. It is no coincidence that these principles form the foundation of the Youth for Eco-Justice workshop.

This workshop, a joint effort by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), has brought together 30 young people from every corner of the globe to engage in open dialogue on the issues surrounding climate change. I had the opportunity to spend a couple days with this amazing group and came away with a renewed sense of optimism and hope. These are the people who will one day become the leaders of our churches and ultimately, our society as a whole. It is in this realization that I find inspiration because it is in this realization that I see God at work most.

While the the gridlock of the negotiations at the International Convention Centre (ICC) continue to lead COP17 towards a dangerous collapse, it is the very important work of these 30 youth that gives us the chance to see sunshine through the clouds. Looking at the variety of challenges we face as human contributors to climate change the workshop aims to reflect upon these challenges from a theological perspective. With the bible as a guide to dialogue and debate, each session focuses on a different subject related to our call to be stewards of God’s creation and advocates on His behalf. The participants have spent much of the first week of COP looking at the different ways in which the gospel relates to the way in which we treat each other as global members. How we consume and dispose of products and resources directly and indirectly affects others on a large scale. This coupled with the issues surrounding water justice and food security form the base of their discussions.

It is through scripture and personal sharing that these individuals have begun to develop creative ways for combating climate change within the context of their own communities and countries. The hope is that through this process each participant will be able to craft a plan to take back with them and begin the process of active engagement. “There are some things that we must do here on earth, we cannot wait for heaven, as some may suggest”, said Mike Langa from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM). He continued, “We must start here by the act of sharing, sharing with others, with all those in need.” Raimy Ramirez from the Presbyterian Church in Venezuela also stated that we must ask the hard questions of ourselves. “What is the core of this injustice (lack of clean drinking water)? If we work on the core, we will understand the root causes of this injustice. Its not the question of who doesn’t have water but rather why don’t these people have water while millions of other people have an abundance.”

The first week of talks within the ICC have been uninspiring, to say the least. Thankfully God has a plan for our future, one that lies within the hearts and minds of the world’s youth...isn’t that an inspiring thought?

In just over an hour from now thousands of civil society and interfaith members will begin their march through Durban. Today is a day for action, the Global Day of Action has arrived!

While the negotiations inside the International Conference Centre (ICC) continue to take upredictable, and at times, worrying turns it is the energy outside the ICC that is inspiring to the world. People from across the globe have descended on Durban with voices united. Brought together against corporate greed and political corruption, the voices of anger are rising. Also on display is a willingness to do whatever it takes to end the cycle of eco-injustice, a concept seemingly devoid in the minds of those wearing the UN badges.

This past week's events will culminate with today's march, but it doesn't end there. The Occupy Wall Street movement that has swept through the world in recent weeks has taken centre stage here (more on that in an upcoming post). I am inspired by their commitment to what is right and to their resolve in making it happen. Join us today (in person, in mind, in spirit) as we send a clear and unwavering message to the COP17 delegation....STOP GREED NOW, SAVE GOD'S CREATION!

History was made today at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Durban. For the Interfaith communities around the world that have joined hands and voices in Durban, today was a day of culmination. Today marked a pivitol turning point in the international interfaith communities' stance on climate change. The Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change was handed over to the COP17 officials at 14:00  in the Kosi Palm room at the ICC.

The declaration is a call to all global leaders and citizens of our planet, a call to shift our focus away from the paths of greed and consumption. A call to embrace a new way of living, a way that seeks to empower all people, from all places and provide for the needs of all of God's creation through the abudance He has provided us.

I had the honor of attending the African Council of Religious Leaders (ACRL) forum on Wednesday. Faith leaders from across Africa came together to discuss the issues surrounding climate change and the dire situation faced by the people of this continent. As part of the Religions For Peace coaliton, the following guiding principles embody their work throughout Africa and beyond:

1) Respect religious differences

2) Act on deeply held & widely shared values

3) Preserve the identity of each reilgious community

4) Honor the different ways religious communities are organized

5) Support locally led multi-religious structures

A decision was made to further mobilize inter-religious leaders from the Southern African region beyond COP17, to tackle the broader base of challenges shared by all people of faith within the sub-region.

The full text of the global Interfaith Delegation on Climate Change (IDCC) signed by interfaith leaders from across the world and delivered today in Durban by IDCC Director, Dr. Stuart Scott and global peace activist Ela Ghandi (granddaughter of Mohandas Gandhi) can be found below:

  The nurturing and respect for Life is a central doctrine of all faiths on Earth. Yet today we are endangering life on Earth with dangerous levels of greenhouse gas emissions. These gases are destabilizing the global climate system, heating the Earth, acidifying the oceans, and putting both humanity and all living creatures at unacceptable risk.

The extraordinary delicacy of Nature’s balance is becoming increasingly apparent, even as human actions inflict ever larger, more dangerous and potentially irreversible changes on the indivisible web of atmosphere, earth, ocean and life that is creation. Today our faiths stand united in their call to care for the Earth, and to protect the poor and the suffering. Strong action on climate change is imperative by the principles and traditions of our faiths and the collective compassion, wisdom and leadership of humanity. We recognize the science of climate change, and we call for global leaders to adopt strong, binding, science based targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases in order to avert the worst dangers of a climate crisis. We urge the nations of Earth to ensure that those who will suffer under climate induced changes such as more severe storms, floods, droughts and rising seas, be aided to adapt, survive and equitably prosper.

We recognize that climate change is not merely an economic or technical problem, but rather at its core is a moral, spiritual and cultural one. We therefore pledge to join together to teach and guide the people who follow the call of our faiths. We must all learn to live together within the shared limits of our planet.

We recognize that just as climate change presents us with great challenges, so too it offers great opportunities. Mitigating climate change can stimulate economies sustainably, protect our planet, lift up the poor, and unite to a common cause people threatened by a common danger. Assisting vulnerable communities and species to survive and adapt to climate change fulfills our calling to wisdom, mercy, and the highest of human moral and ethical values.

We commit ourselves to action – to changing our habits, our choices, and the way we see the world – to learning and teaching our families, friends, and faiths – to conserving the limited resources of our home, planet Earth, and preserving the climate conditions upon which life depends.

In this spirit, we call upon our leaders, those of our faiths, and all people of Earth to accept the reality of the common danger we face, the imperative and responsibility for immediate and decisive action, and the opportunity to change.

"What sense does it make to leave tons of money to our children when they won't have air to breathe or water to drink!?" These were the words of Refeek Hassen, Director of the Islamic Inter-Faith Research Institute (IIFRI). He was speaking at an inter-faith morning devotion where faith leaders gathered to share their thoughts on the COP17 diliberations and offer up prayers for the road ahead.

I began my Tuesday morning with this group. They discussed many of the issues they felt connected us all, as beings created by God and linked together in our common purpose. They met to ensure that a faith perspective is brought to the table at this year's COP. As I sat and listened to each person speak I found myself moved by their candid nature and sincere expressions of hope and dispair. Many offered personal stories of how their own people have begun to suffer the effects of climate change in their local communities. Massive floods, droughts, hurricanes, cyclones, and mudslides have killed thousands upon thousands in recent years and left millions more homeless, reeling from the loss of all they knew and held dear.

This is clearly NOT a Christian issue or a Muslim issue, a Jewish issue or a Buddhist issue. This is not an issue for a single group of people, any certain faith or country or land. THIS is a HUMAN issue. And yet, as the calculated debates continue to swirl at Durban's International Conference Centre (ICC), one key element is missing...the HUMAN element. It is the most important element of our interconnected life here on earth and should be at the core of this debate. Sadly, it is the bottom line, the economic crisis, and the selfish self interests that remain the dominant motivation in the global political process.

This blog is not about LUCSA putting up a soapbox to deliver a political message. It IS, however, a forum upon which to look at the stark realities of these meetings from a faith perspective. We cannot pretend that the gospel lacks clarity on these issues, in fact, quite the contrary. It is the words of Jesus that should ring loud and clear at this critical moment...It is our role, as people of Jesus, to heed His call!

We must not leave it there though, but instead take it one step further, to understand it in the context of our interconnected nature. No matter what faith we hold in our hearts, we were all created by the same heavenly Father, that is a truth we must acknowledge. Because of this, it is in our interest and the interest of our children, to look at two key themes in our lives, as members of humanity:

1) That which connects us

2) The challenges we face together

If we look at these two themes we will be emboldened with the strength and ability to take on the greatest challenges of the world, including climate change. Refeek Hassen also spoke about the need for a complete paradigm shift, a collective shift towards satisfying humanity's needs and away from fulfilling it's greed. This has been a theme woven throughout the past few days of inter-faith meetings and one that has struck a particular chord with me. Dr. Naidoo spoke of it on Monday in the sense of a grassroots "Green Revolution". The Occupy Wall Street movement has found its way to COP, people from around the globe have begun congregating near Speaker's Square, opposite the ICC. "This is very real, and very possible", said a member of the movement I spoke with from Australia. She continued, "This is about more than just Wall Street or COP17, this is about a complete global shift in the way in which we operate as humanity, we are fed up...the greed will end now!"

Humanity has come to Durban. It has come from every corner of the globe, from every inhabited continent, from every faith group, and from every socio-economic sector. The seeds of hope of which I spoke on Monday are being sown here despite the gridlock at the ICC. They are being watered with the prayers of many faiths and the light of justice is what shines upon them. Much of the world lives in comfort, but it is a comfort bought with the suffering of millions.

Tahirih Matthee of the Baha'i Faith community in Southern Africa may have put it best when she made the following statement on Tuesday:

"If your lifestyle is built for the ego you are only doing something for yourself, only looking inward. However, we must come to a new reality, one based on the interests of others. The international bodies must begin to operate on a level of true selflessness for the planet's sake."

No matter what happens in Durban know that the true power lies within each and every one of us. It has been a unifying message of hope within the inter-fath delegation here but must spread beyond us. We must all put humanity back in our lives, for the sake of each other!