Yogyakarta Declaration 2011

“Communicating Climate Justice”

World Association for Christian Communication - Asia Region

ASIA WACC NEWS

2011 JUNE 02

We, the 51 delegates coming from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand, met in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, for the Triennial Assembly of the WACC-AR from 16-21 May 2011 and deliberated on the theme: ‘Communicating Climate Justice’. We submit the following proposals for deliberation, adaptation and implementation at the local, national, and regional levels:

We acknowledge the devastation caused by climate change and its drastic impact on vulnerable communities. Human lives, particularly women, children, the poor and indigenous communities, are affected by compromised health, financial burdens, food and water shortages, and social and cultural disruptions. We observe that the people least responsible for climate change pay the highest price.

We understand that climate change adversely affects food production, deepens food shortages and aggravates rural poverty, unemployment and misery, as people face crop losses through climate disasters such as droughts and floods. Many countries in Asia like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, China, Thailand and Indonesia have faced the disastrous aftermaths of climate change. This has resulted in the devastation of most vulnerable communities and displacement of people.

With gaps in taking timely measures since the ‘Bali Road Map 2007’, Copenhagen Accord 2009 and Cancun Consensus 2010, the tipping point for runaway climate change will be reached by 2015. The number of people being displaced as climate refugees due to flooding, shoreline erosion, drop in agricultural yield, landslides, unusual rain, melting of glaciers in the Himalayas, and desertification (due to deforestation, scant rainfall and floods) will drastically increase by 2050. Reduced agricultural yield results due to land grabbing and land conversion may endanger food sovereignty. Worse, people who suffered from environmental destructions are the same victims of land conversion and land grabbing by big agri-business corporations and those in power.

We raise concern over the United Nations Environment Programme prediction in 2005 according to which climate change would create 50 million climate refugees by 2010. These people would flee a range of disasters including sea level rise, increases in the numbers and severity of tropical storms, and disruption in food production.

We condemn a market-driven and profit oriented economic model which ignores the needs of sustainable development. This includes global economic and political systems in which corporate monopoly and outright consumerism are the order of the day. Because governments side with the business interests, they fail to take measures required to protect the well being of their own people and the eco-systems. The impoverished communities and people around the world face the consequences.

We, as Christian communicators and members of WACC-AR, stand up against the false climate solutions that continue to harm communities, which reinforce corporate control and consumerism. We renew our commitment to fulfill our responsibility to stand up for climate justice and voice the concerns of peoples in Asia.

We affirm the Christian principles of upholding the integrity of God’s creation and establishing healthy relationship with fellow beings of the Earth. We aim to promote green theology and uphold Christian values of “take care” (Genesis 2:15) of the Earth where God has put us. We support green theology and urge churches to create congregations sensitive to ecological justice ministries. We emphasize interpreting and understanding Christian doctrine in the light of evolving knowledge on ecology and environment. We encourage our churches to take a proactive stand by promoting awareness about climate justice among congregations and observing Green Sundays coordinating with international days of action.

We also demand reparation and financing for ecological debt. We also share concern about the closing of borders, especially by the developed countries in prospect of exodus of climate refugees. There has to be considerate measures regarding the climate refugees adopted by the governments. The United Nations should come up with international guidelines supporting the communities displaced by the climate change.

We recommend the use of traditional media as well as innovative forms of the media to create awareness with a special focus on grassroots people. We also recommend an increased use of social media for advocacy and campaigning on the issues of climate justice. Other alternative media such as community radio and other community-appropriate forms shall also be used for this purpose.

We should encourage communities and develop peoples’ capacities in eco-friendly practices, such as renewable and alternative energy sources, organic farming, ban on plastics, and reforestation. Good practices of specific communities should be replicated elsewhere too, such as indigenous knowledge systems and practices—facilitating networks among them.

We call for climate justice issues to be incorporated in general education (formal and non-formal), and theological education, curriculum, and preaching. We recommend a preparation of ‘Green Guidelines for Communicators and Theologians’. Peoples’ movements for climate justice should be strengthened. Linkages of climate change with other development issues should be established. We also invoke a common response to the climate injustices as faith communities. This should include collaborative initiatives like production of resource materials in local languages such as posters, books, brochures, and other communication means.

We aim to influence the governments, corporations, international organizations and the private sector to develop and implement pro-people and ecologically sustainable policies on climate change, working along with civil society organizations, international organizations as well as churches. As Christian communicators we also hold governments accountable to fulfill their promises to maintain balanced ecological systems and implement pro-people policies to ensure climate justice.

We also seek collaborations and express solidarity with other WACC regions, demanding climate justice with focus on underprivileged communities. As WACC we reclaim our prophetic role as Christian communicators to support people’s movements for climate justice, voicing the concerns of marginalized communities by holding governments, corporate organizations as well as political and economic mechanisms responsible, which are adding to climate change.

World Association for Christian Communication - Asia Region (WACC-AR)

Triennial Assembly

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

16-21 May 2008

Source:

http://www.waccasia.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=40