The Earth is our home — creation, amanah, prithvi mata, bhumi devi — given in sacred trust as a dwelling place for all living beings. It is not a commodity to be exploited, but a gift to be honored. The rivers, forests, oceans, and skies are not property. They are expressions of the sacred web of life in which we live and move and have our being.

Our traditions speak in unity: we are called to stewardship, to justice, to reverence, to compassion. We are commanded to protect the vulnerable, to restrain greed, to walk in balance, to uphold dharma, to pursue tzedek, to defend the integrity of creation, and to protect human rights. This is not optional. It is our sacred duty.

And yet, despite decades of scientific clarity and moral warning, those entrusted with power have failed this duty.

We know that many gathered in Santa Marta acknowledge and want to change this reality. Yet many governments, fossil fuel corporations and a consortium of related industries, sustained by vast financial interests, continue to expand coal, oil, and gas extraction even though they have known for decades the devastation this unleashes. Their inaction has disrupted the balance. It breaks covenant with future generations. It places profit above life.

This is not merely a policy miscalculation. It is a moral crisis. It is a trespass against the poor. It is violence against the vulnerable. It is a sin against the Earth. It is theft from our children and future generations.

The scale of fossil fuel production already underway places the world far beyond what is compatible with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C limit. Communities are already suffering, through fires and floods, hunger and displacement, poisoned air and collapsing ecosystems. The triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution is not abstract. It is present, and it is accelerating. Furthermore, we see repeated and persistent violence related to fossil fuel extraction at every level, from the grassroots to the global.

As governments gather in Santa Marta, this conference must not become yet another forum for delay or diluted ambition. Countless people of faith and religious leaders are prepared to support those ready to move forward with decisive implementation. The scientific and moral imperatives have long been clear. We do not need further diagnosis. We need action.

The transition away from fossil fuels is not a matter of ideology. It is a matter of survival, of justice, of fidelity to the very ground of our being. It must account for global inequality. To continue expanding fossil fuels without this accounting is to act without integrity. To invest in new extraction while claiming climate leadership is to hide behind illusion.

We therefore call on every government represented here to act with courage equal to the crisis and to negotiate, develop, and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty that will:

• End the development of new coal, oil, and gas production, immediately;

• Phase out existing fossil fuel production rapidly and equitably, ensuring that impacted workers and communities supported with dignity;

• Guarantee and finance a global just transition, securing universal access to clean, safe, reliable, and affordable renewable energy for all people.

While this represents a challenge, it is unquestionably necessary and only becomes more difficult the longer it is delayed. Renewable energy is increasingly affordable and abundant. It is a matter of economic fairness that its benefits flow first to those long burdened by pollution, poverty, and exclusion. Energy must serve life, not enrich the few at the expense of the many.

We insist that this conference focus on solutions that accelerate the transition rather than postpone it. We need policies that align finance, trade, and development with a fossil-free future, and that restore balance between humanity and the living Earth.

We come from many faiths and spiritual paths, yet we stand united. Justice is sacred. Compassion is sacred. Truth is sacred. Life is sacred.

Let this gathering in Santa Marta be remembered not as another meeting, but as a turning point when nations chose courage over complacency, action over delay, and life over profit.

To the leaders gathering in Santa Marta, and to those who have chosen not to attend, we have this message: act with urgency. Walk in justice. Restore balance. Protect our common home.