Quakers committed to COP26 in Glasgow
Quakers across Europe and the Middle East and beyond are participating in efforts to ensure a successful result to worldwide negotiations on responding to climate breakdown.
The COP26 event takes place from 31 October to 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland.
Explaining COP26
Quakers in Britain have shared a video of their staff member, Rebecca Woo, explaining what COP26 is and how Quakers have been preparing for it:
In a post on the Quakers in Britain website, Oonagh Ryder gives more examples of ways for Quakers to be involved. Visit https://www.quaker.org.uk/blog/how-to-get-involved-in-cop26
Glasgow Quakers’ events
With Glasgow as the host city, Quakers in Glasgow have put together a series of events alongside the COP26 with some of those events available to people in person and others online: https://sway.office.com/2Vl98QeL8oGnO3Kq?ref=Link
Although the majority of events provided by Glasgow Quakers will be in English, one event on Sunday 7 November about meetings for clearness for climate activists will be in French: https://bit.ly/Qclearness
Quaker UN Office Geneva at COP26
Among the many Quaker participants at COP26 in Glasgow are Lindsey Fielder Cook and Joachim Monkelbaan from the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva. Lindsey has contributed a prayer bidding for individual and group contemplation.
“We, voices from faith communities across the world, join in prayer for meaningful decisions at the climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow … We pray for courage and compassion to transform those human activities destroying nature and altering the climate system on which our lives depend.” It finishes with a plea for vaccines for all around the world as well as the health and safety of all those attending the COP26 event.
The whole prayer bidding and offerings from other people of faith can be accessed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FB9j70UZvZEKOyJDSXzFu-mRvKc6q02J/view
Lindsey and Olivia Hanks (Programme Manager – Economics and Sustainability at Quakers in Britain) will speak at an FWCC event on Saturday 6 November 2021 at 20:30 Central European Time, giving an update on the negotiations.
Loving Earth Project
An example of the international flavour of Quaker involvement comes on Wednesday 3 November (20:00-21:30 Central European Time) when the Loving Earth Project hosts an event, Caring for what we love in the world in the face of environmental threats, with speakers from Uganda, the US and Britain. Registration for the event is is essential and can be done here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/caring-for-what-we-love-in-the-world-in-the-face-of-environmental-threats-tickets-166688029383.
Woodbrooke epilogue
During COP26, Woodbrooke, the European Quaker Study Centre, is offering a daily epilogue at 21:00 Central European Time for 40 minutes. Anyone can join by Zoom and access information is at https://www.woodbrooke.org.uk/worship/.
Central European Gathering
Beyond Glasgow, many Quakers are involved in local, regional, national and international efforts to address climate breakdown issues. For example, following on from the Central European Gathering in September, Friends in Central Europe have started coming together regularly online for workshops on decarbonisation.
Please join us in holding Friends and everyone involved in COP26 in the Light and in our thoughts and prayers.
