The First Day at COP25 in Madrid
English translation of the preceding report:
The first day at COP25! Here we go. We got a booth, a space for our literature, and a place for our meetings.
A CATHOLIC MEETING
Our first meeting was for Catholics. We looked at Catholic patterns and where they affect our ability to think about and act on the climate crisis. We also considered ways that our Catholic heritage strengthens us to work on the climate crisis—not just those of us who are believers but all of us who live in a Catholic culture. It was beautiful to connect with people from the Basque Country.
THE INDIGENOUS FORUM
Indigenous people from many parts of Latin America, the Basque Country, Canada, and the United States attended our Indigenous Forum. Our Sustaining All Life leaders empowered themselves by firmly claiming a space to hold it in. The forum was conducted in several Native languages. I was interpreting and saw more than forty people looking on with love and attention. A Chilean man shook and cried. It was emotional to see that!
THE YOUTH FORUM
About thirty young people and young adults, ages twelve to thirty, attended our Youth Forum. They took turns talking, so their voices, stories, and experiences could be heard. Young activists spoke passionately. Most of them wanted to keep fighting so that people would hear their voices and consider their ideas to improve the environment. Two Indigenous people from Brazil told about their work as activists for the environment, about the oppression they suffer, and about the vision they have for human beings. One young man talked about the growing consciousness that human beings are part of nature and cannot be separated from it. “If you hurt nature, you hurt yourself.”
A WOMEN’S GROUP
The women who came to our women’s group already knew that they could express themselves in our space. It was good to give them a chance to talk about climate change from the perspective of being female. One woman said that she saw reality and humanity in our group. They thanked us for having a space just for women to speak and express themselves from their hearts.
Challenges at COP25 include the noise in the big space. It has taken twice the effort to express our ideas when everything around us is noisy. Another challenge is the racism we face here in Europe. We are having deep sessions about how it affects us and how to continue doing the work with good attention.
La Paz, Bolivia
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders in the care of the environment
(Present Time 198, January 2020)