Youth Delegation to Attend United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28)
Press Release
November 20, 2023
We are a messy bunch, but when we commit to caring for one another and the planet, and to spiritual transformation for all, we can move mountains.
– Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne (Easter Calls Us to Change the World
From November 30–December 12, 2023, the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28)
will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Those least responsible for the carbon emissions that cause climate change are the ones being most impacted: young people, Indigenous communities, and communities in the Global South. It is also the most impacted who need to drive the change that’s needed. This is the message that The United Church of Canada COP28 young adult delegation will be amplifying when they attend the conference virtually.
The delegation includes:
- Shane Goldie, 22, Student Minister with Chinook Winds serving Knox United (Milk River, AB) and St Paul’s United (Taber, AB), part of the Indigenous church with roots in Métis and Cree traditions, and interested in the intersection of faith, spirituality, and climate change
- Sarah Gingles, 22, Mount Royal United Church (Moncton, NB), an active environmentalist and founder of Kingston Youth Climate Action
- Rev. Chali Mfuta, 35, of the United Church of Zambia (Livingstone, ZM), a first-hand witness to the impacts of climate change on food security who is championing responses
The delegation will have the unique opportunity to follow the negotiations, connect with national and international climate justice advocates, engage with Canadian officials, and share their experiences in order to further faith-based climate action.
The virtual delegation is part of a broader United Church of Canada COP28 strategy that includes supporting and amplifying the voices of those most impacted by climate change and people of faith at COP, as well as engaging and mobilizing faith communities in Canada.
As part of For the Love of Creation
(FLC), the national faith-based climate effort in Canada, the United Church is working to actively engage more people. Let’s raise our spirited voices with faith and civil society efforts across the globe to push leaders at COP 28 to unite, act, and deliver on commitments in the Paris Agreement and support calls for a Loss and Damage fund. There are several key ways to be involved:
Attend/Watch the Road to COP28 Webinar Series
, Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 7:30 pm ET, a bilingual event with KAIROS, For the Love of Creation, ACT Alliance, and Canadian Foodgrains Bank with a take action
- invitation
- Faithful Responses to Eco-anxiety
- , Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 1 pm ET, with Presbyterian Church of Canada
- Laudate Deum: Ecospirituality in Action
- , Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 6:30 pm ET, with Citizens for Public Justice, Development and Peace and For the Love of Creation
Hold or attend Candles for COP28: Vigils for Climate Justice
- Hold or attend a vigil for climate justice in your community on the weekend of December 8–10, the midway point of the COP proceedings. This is a great opportunity to gather, pray, learn, and raise your spirited voices.
Follow updates from COP28 and the delegation
- Updates will be posted on our Climate Change page, on For the Love of Creation
- , and in social media. Follow hashtags #UCCanCOP28 and #FLCCOP28, and please share. Amplifying the voices of those who are most affected by climate change is critical to moving hearts, minds, and policies towards climate justice. Change requires all of us to act.
Join the COP28 Animators’ Circle
- This group has been formed to help animate and encourage United Church and FLC engagement. A big thank you to those who have joined, and if you are interested, please e-mail flc.plc@gmail.com.
To keep up to date on news, resources, and opportunities related to climate justice, please sign up for the Concerned for Climate Justice newsletter.
For additional information, please contact justice@united-church.ca
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