[ePrayer – Pray for progress on global climate action]

The United Nations Climate Change Conference opened on 11 November in Warsaw, Poland, with a call to reach a new agreement to cut climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions. According to the UN Official, there is a groundswell of climate action for environment, security, energy, economic and governance reasons and the world is ready for a climate change deal. Clarifying finance that enables the entire world to move towards low-carbon development and launching the construction of a mechanism that helps vulnerable populations to respond to the unanticipated effects of climate change are the main areas that delegates should work hard on in order to hammer out a universal UN-backed treaty on climate change by 2015 which would enter force by 2020.

The conference takes place against a backdrop of devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan. The Philippines’ lead negotiator, Yeb Sano, called the climate crisis “madness” and urged the international community to act.“We can stop this madness. Right here in Warsaw,” Mr. Sano said. “Typhoons such as Haiyan and its impacts represent a sobering reminder to the international community that we cannot afford to procrastinate on climate action.” He also added that this Typhoon is not natural when people continue to struggle to eradicate poverty and pursue development and get battered by the onslaught of a monster storm. [UN News (1), UN News (2)]

Pray for progress on global climate action:

• Pray that all nations will work together to deal with the problem of climate change by breaking through the bondage of economic and political considerations;
• May the voices and wishes of those people who are vulnerable to or being suffered by climate change, such as small farmers, rural poor and those people living in disaster prone areas, be heard.