Postcard from Kyoto
Postcard to the President
In February this year, the World Council of Churches (WCC), with WWF SPP and Greenpeace celebrated in Suva the coming into force of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is the only international agreement that binds developed countries that have ratified it to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, to stop climate changing further.
One of the Kyoto celebration activities included a lunch time seminar with the Suva members of the WCC. The lunch tray was successful as it enhanced church leaders' awareness on climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. The churches also agreed, in an action plan, to implement renewable energy projects to fight climate change and to educate their congregations about climate change.
The WCC places a strong emphasis on awareness raising on climate change as majority of their congregation do not understand well climate change and how it impacts their lives.
The following activities were orgainsed by the WCC as follow-up activities to resolution from their Climate Change Consultations in Kiribati in early 2004.
Solomon Islands
The WCC are also running national campaigns in the Pacific. Mr. Luke Memua,
of the Church of Melanesia, organized a week long awareness raising event in
Honiara from July 29 to Aug 5th. Essentially targeted at youth, it brought
together various sectors of the community concerned about the environment.
Activities included speeches, poetry competition and a Honiara city and coastal
clean up.
The aims of this campaign are to mobilize church youth to take care of the environment and to draft an action plan for future clean up campaigns in Honiara city.
Marshall Islands
Mr. Makoni Pulu, the Pacific Conference of Churches Youth Co-ordinator,
organized a similar awareness campaign in the Marshall Islands in early
July 2005. Almost a thousand youth participated in essay and poetry competitions,
and open discussions on climate change impacts in their country.
Plans are underway to carry out similar activities in Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu.
» Fiji's environmentalists hail Kyoto coming into force
» Move Kyoto forward, says WWF in Montreal