Weekly Action - 13 April 2024 - Climate Court Ruling

Climate court ruling

This week, in a landmark ruling, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the failure of governments to act on climate change is damaging the human rights of older people, because they are particularly vulnerable to increased heatwaves caused by global warming. The case was brought by a Swiss climate activist group, Senior Women for Climate Change, whose members have an average age of 74. Whilst the ruling is not binding, it does set an important legal precedent that adds to the growing pressure that governments are not only morally, but also legally responsible for taking more urgent action on climate change.^[1] The case is part of a growing trend both of the incredible dedication and hard work of older climate activists, and of a growing number of environmental campaigners using court rulings to build mounting legal pressure on governments for crucial climate action.

Urgent action needed on climate change

And urgent action by governments on climate change is desperately needed. In recent years the impacts of climate change around the world have included heatwaves, droughts, floods, cyclones, wildfires, landslides, massive polar melting, the melting of the world’s glaciers, sea-level rise, the devastation of coral systems, mass food and fresh water shortages, ill health, huge negative economic impacts, conflicts over scarce resources, the creation of huge numbers of climate refugees, and much more. The last eighteen months have seen a massive and tragic food crisis in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, record temperatures around the world, devastating floods in Pakistan, New Zealand, the UK, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and much more, all as a result of global climate change. This is impacting millions of ordinary people. People like Richard, a friend of Arise from central Nigeria. He has seen the climate changing all around him during his lifetime. He recalls “When I was young there used to be so many wild animals around here, elephants, giraffe, lions. I want my sons to see them, but now it is so dry, they are all gone. There is nothing. In the town where I grew up there used to be seven rivers when I was a boy, now there is only one”. It is developing countries like Nigeria, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Pakistan, whose greenhouse gas emissions are a fraction of those of more developed nations, who have done the least to cause climate change, but are being hit the hardest by it.

As Christians what should we do about it?

As Christians we are called to look after and care for God’s amazing creation, it belongs to him, not us, and he cares for it and loves it, as the book of Deuteronomy says, “To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it” (Deut 10: 14). We therefore need to urgently get out of fossil fuels, which are driving global climate change, and instead shift to 100% clean renewable energy, which does not lead to climate change, and is cheaper as well. Arise’s 4 Shifts Campaign calls for a rewiring of our global economy to be green and fair, so it still creates the jobs and wealth that lift people out of poverty, but does so without relying on fossil fuels and the overconsumption which is wrecking our planet.

Will you take action as part of Arise’s 4 Shifts campaign this week and call for an urgent shift to a clean energy economy?

Take Action

Speak out in advocacy

Write to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in your own words to ask the UK to rapidly scale up climate action.

Urge the UK government to call for a strengthening of the global Paris Agreement on climate change to shift to zero emissions and 100% clean renewable energy, and ban the use of fossil fuels in every nation by 2030.
Urge the UK to pass national legislation to bring this into effect in the UK, and implement it in every sector (energy, transport, buildings, industry etc.)

Write to the Prime Minister at:

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA

Pray

Pray for people around the world who are being impacted by climate change. Pray for housing and shelter, food, medical care, new jobs, and livelihoods that are resilient to climate change. Pray for action from the UK government to rapidly shift the economy out of fossil fuels and into 100% clean renewable energy.

Give

Give to Christian organisations like Cafod, Christian Aid, Tearfund or World Vision who are supporting the poorest communities impacted by climate change around the world.

Ethical Consumption

Do some research and consider using public transport, car shares or occasionally renting a car rather than owning one. If you do need a car, consider having just one per family, switching to an electric car (it’s not as expensive as it sounds), or buying as fuel efficient and low emission model as possible.

Practical Action

Install an energy monitor at home. Use it to help identify ways you can reduce your energy use and save carbon emissions.

Encourage us and others by letting us know what actions you have taken – message us at info@ariseuk.org, or via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Find out more

It’s great to take this action as individual Christians, but even better to come together with others to pray, discuss, worship, learn, have fun and take action together. Contact Arise if you are interested in joining or starting a local Arise group in your church or area. If you are already in an Arise group, take this action to your wider church, and get them all to do it too.

Find out more about why the world needs 4 Shifts to transition to a green and fair global economy in Arise’s 4 Shifts Report, and how this forms part of God’s bigger vision for our world in the Arise Manifesto.

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[1] Human rights violated by climate change inaction, European court rules, Sky News, (9 Apr 2024), https://news.sky.com/story/human-rights-violated-by-climate-change-inaction-european-court-rules-13111293