9 December 2014: A group of Catholic bishops have called for ending fossil fuel use and urged negotiators at the Lima Climate Change Conference to lay the foundation for an internationally binding climate agreement in Paris in 2015.

In a statement, the bishops said that, through their work with the most vulnerable communities, they are closely attuned to how climate change is affecting those populations and that they recognize the atmosphere, rainforests, oceans and agricultural land as common goods that require care. Their statement highlights adversities, such as climate change, that impact food security, health and migration, which have led to significant suffering worldwide.

The bishops identify the dominant global economic system as responsible for the current climate situation, noting it has failed to prioritize human beings and the common good. They therefore call for a new financial and economic order.

The statement calls on Parties to: keep in mind the ethical and moral dimensions of climate change, not only the technical aspects; adopt a fair and legally binding agreement applicable based on universal human rights; keep the global temperature increase below 1.5ºC to protect communities, such as those in the Pacific Islands and coastal regions; and build new models of development and lifestyles that are climate compatible and help lift people out of poverty, through, inter alia, phasing out fossil fuels and phasing in 100% renewables with sustainable energy access for all.

The statement further calls on Parties to: ensure that the 2015 agreement delivers on adaptation, recommending allocating 50% of public adaptation funds to the most vulnerable; recognize that that those responsible for climate change must assist in managing loss and damage and sharing technology; adopt clear roadmaps on meeting predictable and additional finance commitments; and establish robust and transparent accounting methodologies.

Nine bishops signed the statement, primarily those from the Global South and five from Peru, including Archbishop Salvador Piñeiro García-Calderón of Ayacucho, president of the Peruvian bishops’ conference. [Bishop’s Statement in Lima on the Road to Paris] [UNFCC Press Release] [IISD RS Coverage of the UN Climate Change Conference]