Eighty senior Australian faith leaders have signed an open letter calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to stand with Australia's Pacific neighbours and support a global Fossil Fuel Treaty and a fair, planned phase-out of coal, oil and gas.
The call will be reinforced today through coordinated activations across Cairns, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and other faith communities displaying banners at churches and places of worship in solidarity with Pacific communities.
The national action coincides with the COP31 Pre-COP in Fiji and the Leaders' event in Tuvalu, where governments and Pacific leaders are meeting ahead of COP31 in November. Pacific church leaders have been calling for stronger international action on fossil fuels.
Australia is President of Negotiations for COP31.
The open letter calls on the Australian Government to continue listening to the concerns of Pacific nations, and to continue using Australia's international role to support an accelerated, equitable transition away from fossil fuels.
The open letter and activations follow a blistering statement presented by Pacific church leaders at the opening service of the Pre-COP Summit in Fiji on Sunday, that called on nations to immediately halt fossil fuel expansion to keep warming below 1.5C. The Pacific statement also demanded much more serious action on climate finance, compensation, and a key decision-making role for those most affected.
Rev Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly, said:
"Prime Minister, you have spoken about Australia being part of the Pacific family and about standing alongside our Pacific neighbours. Being a good neighbour means more than words. It means listening, accompanying one another, and being prepared to act on what we hear."
Pacific church leaders have been clear about the urgency of the climate crisis and the need for a just transition away from fossil fuels. As Australia assumes the role of President of Negotiations for COP31, we have a responsibility to listen carefully to Pacific leadership and to carry those priorities into Australia's leadership of the negotiations.
For me, this is ultimately about what it means to love our Pacific neighbours. Love is expressed through action and accountability. It also means respecting the dignity, leadership and self-determination of Pacific peoples as we work together for the generations who come after us."
Archbishop Jeremy Greaves, Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, said:
"The Prime Minister has spoken of Australia as a proud member of the Pacific family, and of Australia's role as a partner and leader in the region. He has also said that there is no avoiding the scale of our responsibility, or the cost of inaction, on climate change.
Those are important words. But leadership also means being prepared to face reality when the facts demand difficult choices.
Our Pacific neighbours are asking Australia to phase out fossil fuels. Australia is also playing a leading role in the global climate negotiations as President of Negotiations for COP31.
If fossil-fuel phase-out is not on the agenda, why isn't it?"
Dr Mohamed Mohideen OAM, President of the Islamic Council of Victoria, said:
"In Islam, we are taught that human beings are entrusted with the care of Allah's creations. We are not owners of the Earth to do with as we please; we are trustees with a responsibility to protect what has been entrusted to us.
The Qur'an calls us to justice, to avoid causing harm and to remember our responsibility to those who come after us. That responsibility does not stop at national borders.
When our Pacific neighbours are telling us that their homes, communities and futures are being threatened, people of faith have a responsibility to listen and to act. We need leadership that puts justice, compassion and the protection of creation into practice."
Tejopala Rawls, Executive Director of the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, said:
"There comes a time when being responsible means waking up to reality, even when the reality is difficult.
Australians know something about what it feels like to live with insecurity from a changing climate. We have seen bushfires, floods and heatwaves disrupt homes, communities and livelihoods. We know what it is like to wonder what the future will bring.
In Buddhism, waking up means seeing clearly what is actually happening, rather than clinging to the world as we would like it to be. We are being asked to do that now.
The reality facing our Pacific neighbours has changed. Australia needs to wake up to that reality and ask what responsible leadership requires of us now - and have the courage to act on what we see."
Bishop Philip Huggins said:
"Jesus embodies divine friendship and invites us to befriend one another in loving service. As people of faith, we recognise the importance of friendship between nations, and we are grateful for the work the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have done to strengthen Australia's relationships with our Pacific neighbours.
Part of good pastoral leadership is looking after people through times of uncertainty. Australians know that dependence on fossil fuels can leave households and economies exposed to volatile international markets and geopolitical shocks, including conflicts such as the war in Iran. Sunlight travels 93 million miles to reach Earth, but none of those miles are in the Strait of Hormuz.
That is one reason the transition to renewable energy matters not only for the climate, but for our energy security. Our Pacific neighbours are asking us to build on our excellent work on renewable energy and to get behind international efforts to phase out fossil fuels as well, while recognising that the transition is both crucial and complex.
It needs to be planned and fair, with bipartisan support so that families, communities and regions can have confidence about the future.
Our prayer and advocacy are for peace on earth and peace with earth. In the divine friendship for us, this is entirely possible. The choices made in the coming days are crucial."
The Fossil Fuel Treaty is a proposed international framework for ending the expansion of coal, oil and gas and managing a fair and planned transition away from fossil fuels. It includes principles for a just transition, an end to further fossil-fuel expansion, and an equitable phase-out that recognises different countries' capacities and responsibilities.
The October 6 activations will take place in Cairns, Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
Media spokespeople
Rev Charissa Suli, President, Uniting Church in Australia Assembly
Archbishop Jeremy Greaves, Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane
Mohamed Mohideen, President, Islamic Council of Victoria
Tejopala Rawls, Executive Director, Australian Religious Response to Climate Change
Bishop Philip Huggins, Episcopal Advisor on Peace Building, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne and Geelong
Additional senior faith leaders are available in each location.
