World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy invites religious, faith and values-based individuals and organizations to endorse Protecting Our Common Climate System: Earth Governance for a Sustainable Future, an interfaith appeal which we will present to the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29).
The appeal highlights principles and values shared across the world’s major religions, faiths and philosophies that are relevant to governing the environment for a sustainable future. These include the principles of protection of creation (the Earth’s global ecosystem), reciprocity/equity, justice/fairness, social responsibility and Guardianship/Earth Trusteeship. The appeal then draws from those principles to support:
- A UN Declaration of Planetary Emergency and the establishment of a Planetary Emergency Platform, connected with the development and implementation of a cooperative Planetary Emergency Action Plan;
- Establishment of a UN Special Envoy for Future Generations and similar institutional representatives for future generations at local, national and regional levels;
- The current International Court of Justice case on climate change, addition of the crime of ecocide to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, including specific environmental crimes in the draft Treaty on Crimes Against Humanity, further use of existing courts and tribunals to resolve environmental issues and protect the environment, and establishment of a dedicated International Court for the Environment;
- Negotiations for a Fossil Fuel Treaty that would end subsidies for fossil fuels, phase out fossil fuel extraction, and increase investment in green economies, in particular in developing countries;
- The principle of Earth Trusteeship and expansion of examples of this at local, national, regional and international levels. This could include a UN cooperative trusteeship mechanism for better governance of the global commons, inspired by the UN Secretary-General’s proposal for the UN Trusteeship Council.
The Appeal was drafted by the WFM-IGP Transnational Working Group on values, faith-based perspectives and global governance (Interfaith TWG). It will be presented to COP 29 at the Faith Pavilion on Monday November 18.