SEASON OF CREATION 2024

Faith leaders mark Season of Creation with a call on followers to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty proposal 

The Season of Creation, an annual Christian celebration to pray and respond together to the cry of Creation, begins on 1 September on the Feast of Creation, and ends 4 October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology beloved by many Christian denominations.

The Season of Creation occurs every year , and serves as a time where Christians around the world can gather and answer the call to care for creation. Our wellbeing is interwoven with the wellbeing of the Earth. This June 5, World Environment Day, the Season of Creation launched the official Celebration Guide for 2024. Ecumenical faith leaders from around the globe lead this time of presentation and reflection as we celebrate the ongoing preparation for the Season of Creation, on this year’s theme:

To Hope and act with Creation

Sign the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty’s Faith Letter as an individual or as an institution to show your support
Hope for Creation: Dialogue for a Fossil Fuel-Free Future in the Philippines 

Join the Fossil Fuel Treaty and partners for a transformative dialogue among various stakeholders in the Philippines. Guided by the Season of Creation theme “To Hope and Act with Creation,” it is dedicated to fostering dialogue aimed at accelerating the transition towards a fossil fuel-free future and endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

Led by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Caritas Philippines, the Laudato Si' Movement, and Laudato Si' Movement Pilipinas, this event seeks to unite policymakers, community leaders, faith communities, civil society organizations, and other key actors in this crucial conversation. 

More Ways to Get Involved in the Season of Creation 2024
  • Attend a high-level webinar on 10 or 12 September. Details of the event will be published on the Season of Creation website, so stay tuned!

  • On the day of action, 21 September, get signatures for the Fossil Fuel Treaty Faith Letter with a tablet or iPad.

  • Share video messages from faith leaders and political leaders calling for other political leaders and other faith leaders to sign the Fossil Fuel Treaty.

  • Share the videos with your faith or political leader and ask them to endorse the treaty. 

  • Organize a public action to bring attention to the petition, such as vigils calling on faith and political leaders to endorse the call for an Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

  • After the day of action on  21 September, celebrate faith leaders and political leaders who have endorsed the Treaty during the Season of Creation and prepare for the COP 29 push.

Launch of the official Celebration Guide for Season of Creation 2024
Resources
Hear from faith leaders on why the world needs a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty now!

Sign the Faith Letter for a Fossil Fuel Treaty

As leaders across diverse religious and spiritual communities around the globe, we call on governments to develop and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

We have been granted a gift, an earth created in all its diversity, vitality, and abundance, for which we are called upon to be stewards. But this role of stewardship has been overshadowed by neglect, exploitation, and unsustainable consumption that threaten the natural balance, social harmony, and existence of life on earth.

Too many coal mines and oil and gas wells are already under production, setting the world on course to fail to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of 1.5°C. To avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, we must hold ourselves, our neighbors, and our governments accountable and collectively act. 

For too long, government action has been painstakingly slow and catered too much to the reckless and deceptive fossil fuel corporations, preventing meaningful and timely climate legislation. There is a glaring disconnect between countries’ approvals for continued fossil fuel expansion and their rhetoric proclaiming long-term ‘net zero’ targets, a dangerous veil to evade responsibility, delay action, and rely on unproven technologies. 

The burning of coal, oil, and gas is responsible for 86% of CO2 emissions in the past decade, according to the IPCC. Just 100 companies account for more than 70% of emissions. With these emissions also come the costs of local pollution, environmental degradation, and health impacts associated with extracting, refining, transporting, and burning fossil fuels. 

These costs are disproportionately paid by those who are most vulnerable to, and least historically responsible for, the consequences of climate change - lives lost, homes and farms destroyed, and millions of people displaced. It is our moral imperative to protect those most in need and to uphold the human rights of future generations by employing renewable sources of energy.

The science surrounding the most urgent danger facing humanity is undeniable: to be good caretakers of our common home, we must act and phase out the production of fossil fuels. Several faith institutions around the world have already divested from fossil fuel companies, now we take the next step in calling on governments to plan a global just transition. 

The current scale of the climate crisis requires a cooperative global solution that addresses the fossil fuel industry directly. We call on governments to urgently commence negotiations to develop and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, laying out a binding global plan to:

  1. End expansion of any new coal, oil or gas production in line with the best available science as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme;

  2. Phase-out existing production of fossil fuels in a manner that is fair and equitable, taking into account the respective dependency of countries on fossil fuels and their capacity to transition;

  3. Ensure a global just transition to 100% access to renewable energy globally, support dependent economies to diversify away from fossil fuels, and enable all people and communities, not least the Global South, to flourish.

We hail from many faiths and beliefs, but together we can remedy the decades of negligence to safeguard our coexistence with this earth. Just as our beliefs are entrenched in religious and spiritual teachings, our response to the climate crisis must be deeply rooted in science and equity to heal the planet and people alike.

We have a narrow window of opportunity to act which is why we are joining the growing chorus of Indigenous Peoples, civil society leaders, youth, cities, lawmakers, academics, and scientists calling for a global treaty to phase out fossil fuels and support a just transition powered by renewable energy and a sustainable future for all.

612 Faith Institution Signatories

Global Faith Institutions

Greenfaith

World Council of Churches

Islamic Relief Worldwide

Laudato Si' Movement

Parliament of the World's Religions

United Religions Initiative

Soka Gakkai International (SGI)

Pacific Conference of Churches

A Rocha International

Anglican Church of Southern Africa Environment Network

Anglican Consultative Council

Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs

Buddhist Global Relief

Catholic Action for Animals

Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA)

Christian Brothers Oceania Province

Colectivo ANSUR

Community Peacemaker Teams

Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate - Marianists

Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul

Fast For the Climate

Friends World Committee for Consultation (Quakers)

Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea

International Network of Engaged Buddhists

Latin American and Caribbean Catholic Bishops Council [CELAM]

Let There Be Light International

New Bodhisattva Network

North American Climate, Conservation and Environment(NACCE)

Passionist Solidarity Network

Passionists International

Plateau Perspectives

Renew Our World

Salesian Sisters, South Pacific Region

Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute (SAFCEI)

UNANIMA International

Unitarian Universalist Association

Wild Church Network

World Yoga Community

Faith Institutions by Country
Africa
Asia
Europe
Latin America and the Caribbean
North America
Oceania

For inquiries please contact faith@fossilfueltreaty.org

For more information on the Season of Creation, visit their website