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Christian leaders urge politicians: After tsunami, heed climate change
Geneva
By Peter Kenny
ENI-04-0842
Thursday, December 30, 2004
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 [Ecumenical News International] Two world church officials have urged political leaders to heed the danger that climate change could pose in triggering disasters like this week's killer tsunami. It was precipitated by a massive earthquake that has left a death toll of more than 115,000 lives.
"This is a time for humanity to try to see how global efforts can try to overcome a tragedy that has happened on a scale like this," World Council of Churches' general secretary, the Rev. Sam Kobia, told Ecumenical News International on Thursday. "We need to learn a few lessons of humanity," he said.
"For instance, we are so connected globally," Kobia noted, explaining that victims had included both the poorest of the poor and people from richer countries enjoying holidays. That was until the massive tidal waves struck after the 9.0 magnitude undersea quake off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on December 26.
Noting that the disaster had not only caused havoc in south and southeast Asia, Kobia said it had also taken a toll in African countries such as Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and the Seychelles displacing. It has left millions of people displaced according to World Health Organization officials.
"This was a clear warning on what climate change could to do the world," the WCC leader said calling on powerful nations that have not signed the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, to do so.
The Kyoto accord requires developed countries to reduce their output of heat-trapping gases produced by industry, cars and power plants. Countries such as China, India, Saudi Arabia and the United States have not signed the treaty fearing it could damage economic growth.
The general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, the Rev. Ishmael Noko, also said the disaster was a warning of the dangers of climate change. "The lands temporarily inundated by the severe tidal waves could be claimed permanently, along with all other similarly low-lying coastal areas, by rising sea levels caused by global warming," he said in a statement.
"It is a reminder that we would do well to heed, at a time when even the relatively inadequate efforts by the international community to address climate change continue to be subverted and undermined by some of those most responsible," Noko said.
Both Kobia and Noko appealed to all their member churches to make special efforts to help those hit by the catastrophe.
Kobia, a Kenyan Methodist, called for a "big harambee" or a big pull together in the East African language of Swahili, over and above efforts already made by coordinators of relief aid such as Action by Churches Together. "Perhaps we need to have a global harambee with churches having, say, an extra collection."
Noko, a Zimbabwean, reminded "all churches everywhere" of their "responsibility to provide aid and support to those who have suffered the effects. This is the calling and a true mark of the church in the face of such terrible events."
The WCC has 342 member churches in more than 120 countries and the LWF has 138 member churches in 77 countries.
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