More than 600 people signed a petition urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to demand serious climate action at COP29.

The petition, which combined signed postcards with an online list, was organised by Jesuit Missions – the international development office and mission of the Jesuits in Britain.

It asked Mr Starmer to promote three key environmental initiatives at COP29 in Azerbaijan later this year: an effective United Nations Loss and Damage Fund, the cancellation of climate debts, and a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.

A box containing the postcards and the names from the online campaign was delivered to Number 10 Downing Street on Friday (October 4) by British Provincial Fr Peter Gallagher SJ.

He was joined by students from four London schools – St Catherine’s Catholic School, Bexleyheath, St Ignatius College, Enfield, Ursuline High School, Wimbledon, and Wimbledon College.

The petition – which noted “the world needs the UK to help deal with climate change” – formed part of Jesuit Missions’ Season of Creation Campaign for 2024, which encouraged its supporters to think about how they can act to protect the natural world.

This theme was discussed during a climate education session involving Jesuit Missions’ staff, the Provincial, and the pupils and chaplains from the schools before the visit to Downing Street.

Issues such as rising sea levels and the impact this has on migration, questions around the future of electric cars, and how to effectively put pressure on political and business leaders were brought to the table.  

Fr Gallagher said: “The Jesuits believe that God has created everything, and that he loves everything. If Creation is being mistreated or allowed to be neglected, then [we] ought to be doing something about that.

“Quite a few Jesuits live in parts of the world that are already badly affected by the ecological crisis and we, who are lucky enough to live somewhere less immediately affected, try to support are brethren there.”

He also referenced the “important” teachings of Pope Francis, in particular his encyclical on caring for our common home, Laudato Si’.

Tackling climate change is a key issue for Jesuit Missions and forms part of several of its projects across the world.

For example, in Madagascar, it works with the Centre Arrupe in Antananarivo to educate young people in the country about the impact of climate change and how to address it.

In South Sudan, it supports a programme that teaches predominantly female farmers techniques to cope with extreme weather patterns.

Jesuit Missions’ Advocacy and Campaigns Officer, Richard Solly, said it is vital to remember these communities, who are disproportionately impacted when it comes to environmental damage.

Speaking about plans to send a delegation from Madagascar to COP29, he said: “It’s really important that people from the Global South get to say what’s important to them, and what the effects of climate change are on them, to the people making the decisions in these big conference centres. Their voices need to be heard.”

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