Looking back on A Rocha’s presence at COP26

A Rocha at COP26

COP26, or the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, was an international conference organised by the United Nations which took place from 1 to 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the 26th Conference of the Parties (hence the acronym: COP26, for “Conference of the Parties”), which brought together the signatory countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

This year, A Rocha was able to participate at national and international level in this major event! This article tells you about what we did there.

The Blue Zone

The Blue Zone is the official area for negotiations and national representation, where a multitude of parallel conferences also took place. Several A Rocha members were present to influence the decisions taken. We now welcome the recognition of the value of ‘Nature based solutions’ to climate change, promoted by A Rocha. Read our conclusions on the decisions taken at COP26 in our press release.

The Green Zone

Members of A Rocha International in front of the stand in the Green Zone at COP26

In the ‘Green Zone’, open to the public, are the stands of various NGOs and COP26 partners. A Rocha was able to have a stand there on 8 November. It was a great opportunity for the international team to come together and bring a Christian perspective to the hustle and bustle of Glasgow!

The Ambassadors

For the second week of COP26, a delegation from the A Rocha France Ambassadors network, along with Juliette, a member of Eglise Verte (Eco church), and Victoria (a friend of A Rocha in Germany), travelled to Glasgow to witness what was happening there first hand, and share on their return to the four corners of Europe.

Throughout the week, Jean-François, Anna, Timothée, Jessica, Katie, Greg, Timothée, Manon, Juliette and Victoria:

• 

  A Rocha Ambassadors in Glasgow training to present the Climate Fresco ©Timothée Kaufmann

  went to different events organised in the city; Green Zone conferences, climate march, People’s Summit for Climate Justice conferences,

• trained and participated in awareness-raising tools such as the Climate Fresco or the 2 Tonnes workshop,
• wrote 17 articles and recorded 5 podcasts for 7 different Christian media (find them here)!
• organised and participated in a live conference from Glasgow on Zoom to give news of the mobilisation on the ground, exchange and pray with more than 50 participants!

The Ambassadors’ programme was followed on 25 November by a meeting on environmental advocacy with Andy Atkins, Director of A Rocha UK and a social justice and environment campaigner.

Partner Christian organisations

Across Glasgow, A Rocha organised or participated in several events in collaboration with other Christian partners (Tearfund, The Church of Scotland, etc). A great unifying event was the 11 November  concert organised by A Rocha UK. We were able to listen to the group Resound Worship with their album Doxecology. This album is a beautiful project of worship songs on the themes of creation, ecology and Christian hope.

International family life

Throughout this experience, life in Christian community was lived with very strong connections.

Meal with A Rocha International during COP26 in Glasgow ©Timothée Kaufmann

At various moments during COP26, members of the A Rocha International family were able to work, share and pray together. We are grateful for the fellowship meal we were able to have, which we all have wonderful memories of.

But the Christian family doesn’t stop at A Rocha! The daily life of the Bible Centre and meeting with the members of the Christian Climate Observers Program (CCOP) allowed for rich exchanges and encounters with Christians from all over the world who share the same call for the protection of God’s creation.

Prayers for COP 26

Finally, we were able to offer prayers for COP 26 from 25 October until 30 November 2021 through our Prayers for Creation. Thank you for your prayers! We can continue to offer up to our sovereign God the authorities, the victims of climate change, our individual and collective actions, the commitments made by the countries, the commitments still to be made, the team that went there and their testimonies today around them.

Find these prayer proposals on our Facebook page “Prayer for Creation” or directly in your email box via our initiative “pray for creation”.