“Every part of creation matters!”, the 2023 Assembly of the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) from 31 August – 3 September 2023 stressed at their meeting in Roskilde/ Denmark. The conference offered an opportunity for the discussion of key concerns of rapidly developing eco-theology, a space to assess developments related to key EU policy-shaping on the response to climate change, and outline a vision of a sustainable future in Europe.
In his input “Every part of Creation matters”, Church and Peace vice-chair Kees Nieuwerth highlighted that biodiversity faces a dire threat from human activities, risking species extinction at an alarming rate, linked to our unsustainable exploitation of nature. The European Green deal is a step forward towards a green economy, though it still does not question the growth paradigm, and insufficiently analyses its impact on the southern hemisphere.
Governments, despite commitments like the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal, often fall short in aligning policies with sustainability, particularly regarding agriculture and fossil fuel support. To address these crises, a transformative shift is advocated, challenging the growth paradigm, prioritising sufficiency, circularity, and solidarity, urging a lifestyle change akin to a spiritual conversion.
Kees Nieuwerth recommends to engage churches in a proactive role to address the climate and biodiversity crises from a spiritual and practical standpoint, promoting sustainable and responsible actions within their communities and beyond.
Read the full paper “Every Part of Creation Matters” presented to 2023 ECEN Assembly here.
Other speakers of the ECEN Assembly panel “Churches in Dialogue with Politics” (see bottom image, from left to right) were Fiona Paulus from the Ecumenical Youth Council of Europe, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, programme director for Public Witness and Diakonia at the World Council of Churches, and Marianne Bigum, member of the Danish Parliament, vice-chair of the climate, energy and utility committee.
Find key documents of the assembly as well as a gallery on ECEN’s website: https://ecen.org/assemblies/ecen-assembly-2023-materials
