Rich discussion webinar on COP26

Over 100 people attended a webinar on Tuesday 28 September, organised by the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, in preparation for the COP26 global summit convening in Glasgow in November. You can watch a recording of the webinar here ».

The COP summit is the gathering of world governments where climate objectives and policies are established.  The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ) will be one of the groups in attendance, representing the Irish Jesuit Province and wider environmental activism in Ireland. The JCFJ’s Martina Madden and Dr Ciara Murphy will link up with Jesuit Missions UK, Ecojesuit and other Jesuit works in Glasgow during the summit.

JCFJ Director Dr Kevin Hargaden says that “COP is a complex beast: part technical debate, part policy formation, and part international diplomacy”. To help explain it and prepare people to support efforts to make it a success, the JCFJ organised the webinar featuring the legendary eco-theologian Fr Sean McDonagh and the experienced environmental policy activist Jerry McEvilly.

These distinguished speakers explained the background to COP and the significance of these meetings, including the much less publicised (but just as important) Biodiversity summit starting next week in Kunming, China.

Speaking with passion about the unique place that Christians have in environmentalism, Fr McDonagh called on those present to recognise that “every species has an intrinsic value”. Mr McEvilly explained with great clarity how “COP26 is a moment to set more ambitious and equitable climate action goals.”

Four take-away quotes regarding COP26 were later posted on the JCFJ twitter account.

• “COP26 is a moment to set more ambitious and equitable goals.” (Jerry McEvilly)
• “Every species has an intrinsic value.”(Sean McDonagh)
• “Empowering women at every level leads to better climate outcomes.” (Jerry McEvilly)
• “There are no pests on the planet, everything has a place.” (Sean McDonagh)

There was as much time set aside for questions and answers from the audience as was given over to formal input and that ensured a rich discussion amongst participants. “The Q & A session helped us further unpack complex details, clarify our potential responses, and encourage people to act”, noted Kevin.

COP26 runs from October 31st to November 12th and you can follow the JCFJ coverage on their website » or on their twitter feed ».