COP28: Explore the Faith Pavilion
This is the second blog in a series about COP 28 from CIPL supporter Amy Quirk
Welcome to a historic collaboration among people of faith. Located in the Blue Zone, where international negotiators convene, the Faith Pavilion is open to delegates at COP28 and to you via live-streaming.
“In response to the growing climate crisis, faith communities are coming together to host the first-ever Faith Pavilion at COP28. It brings together a wide range of stakeholders to call for urgent action, inspire the world with solutions, and demonstrate the pivotal role of faith communities in tackling the climate crisis in support of people and the planet.”
The pavilion is adjacent to key meeting sites and, hopefully, signals the moral authority of the world’s major religions in these negotiations:
The pavilion is hosted by the Muslim Council of Elders in collaboration with the “COP28 Presidency, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and a diverse coalition of global partners including the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, the Episcopal Diocese of California, the Peace Department, the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development (PaRD), and over 50 faith organizations.”
As depicted by the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, there are six goals for the Faith Pavilion:
Here is the schedule of events from Friday, December 1, 2023 through Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
One event may be of particular interest due to recent news reports about fossil fuel interests at COP28:
Background information about the treaty is available here.
The events will be live-streamed, but please note that the times listed are local to Dubai.
I hope to see you there!
COP28 begins November 30, 2023
This is the first in a series of posts about COP 28 from CIPL supporter Amy Quirk, who is attending in Dubai.
Come, experience this environmental conference. Our faith communities can access various aspects of COP28 without traveling to Dubai. Some pathways are available now and more may open soon.
The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international climate summit. World leaders gather to collaborate on solutions to tackle climate change. There are now 198 Parties (197 countries plus the European Union) to the Convention, constituting near universal membership.
Here is a brief history of UN Climate negotiations through the years.
This year is the 28th Conference, hosted by the United Arab Emirates from November 30 to December 12, 2023 in Dubai.
You are welcome to attend as well. Here’s how.
Let’s begin with a depiction of the COP28 site in the Expo City district of Dubai. This visual may help you orient yourself.
The Blue Zone
The Blue Zone is open to accredited party and observer delegates. It hosts the formal negotiations across the two weeks of the conference.
Though members of the public, who are not accredited delegates, cannot attend the conference in person, many events in the Blue Zone, such as “the plenary sessions of the bodies, the high-level segment with heads of states, many press conferences and side events will be webcast live for the public on unfccc.int”
All events in the U.S. Center at COP28 pavilion within the Blue Zone will be live-streamed, recorded and posted for viewing later. View the schedule of events here.
And avail yourselves of live-streaming and recordings at the U.S. Center at COP28 here.
The Green Zone
The Green Zone is open to the ticketed public to explore climate innovations and technology, interactive exhibits, art, film screenings, and talks.
Within the Green Zone will be these interest-area hubs:
- Energy Transition Hub
- Knowledge Hub
- Climate Finance Hub
- Technology & Innovation Hub
- Startup Village
- Humanitarian Hub
- Youth Hub
- Greening Education Hub
Here is the latest schedule for events within the Green Zone.
The UNFCCC has provided a listing of social media access points for all COP28 events. Hopefully, one or more of these will help you experience the conference wherever you are.
Let’s go!
COP28 begins November 30, 2023
This is the first in a series of posts about COP 28 from CIPL supporter Amy Quirk, who is attending in Dubai.
Come, experience this environmental conference. Our faith communities can access various aspects of COP28 without traveling to Dubai. Some pathways are available now and more may open soon.
The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international climate summit. World leaders gather to collaborate on solutions to tackle climate change. There are now 198 Parties (197 countries plus the European Union) to the Convention, constituting near universal membership.
Here is a brief history of UN Climate negotiations through the years.
This year is the 28th Conference, hosted by the United Arab Emirates from November 30 to December 12, 2023 in Dubai.
You are welcome to attend as well. Here’s how.
Let’s begin with a depiction of the COP28 site in the Expo City district of Dubai. This visual may help you orient yourself.
The Blue Zone
The Blue Zone is open to accredited party and observer delegates. It hosts the formal negotiations across the two weeks of the conference.
Though members of the public, who are not accredited delegates, cannot attend the conference in person, many events in the Blue Zone, such as “the plenary sessions of the bodies, the high-level segment with heads of states, many press conferences and side events will be webcast live for the public on unfccc.int”
All events in the U.S. Center at COP28 pavilion within the Blue Zone will be live-streamed, recorded and posted for viewing later. View the schedule of events here.
And avail yourselves of live-streaming and recordings at the U.S. Center at COP28 here.
The Green Zone
The Green Zone is open to the ticketed public to explore climate innovations and technology, interactive exhibits, art, film screenings, and talks.
Within the Green Zone will be these interest-area hubs:
- Energy Transition Hub
- Knowledge Hub
- Climate Finance Hub
- Technology & Innovation Hub
- Startup Village
- Humanitarian Hub
- Youth Hub
- Greening Education Hub
Here is the latest schedule for events within the Green Zone.
The UNFCCC has provided a listing of social media access points for all COP28 events. Hopefully, one or more of these will help you experience the conference wherever you are.
Let’s go!
On-Going: Faith Voice In 2023 Climate Justice Legislation
AB 631 (Hart) – Oil and gas: enforcement penalties
- SIGNED
AB 579 (Ting) – Electric School Busses
- SIGNED
SB 49 (Becker) – Solar parking lots (got cut) and highways
- SIGNED
Three of our five priority bills will be in front of the governor this month for his signature. The other two bills have been made into two year bills and will take more negotiating next year. The govenor has yet to sign the remianign three bills although we are hopeful, any extra boost you’re willing to give is helpful! Call his office at (916) 445-2841 and advocate for a healthier climate for all.
AB 631 (Hart) – Oil and gas: enforcement penalties
- Passed and pending signature
AB 579 (Ting) – Electric School Busses
- Passed and pending signature
SB 49 (Becker) – Solar parking lots (got cut) and highways
- Passed and pending signature
SB 233 – Bidirectional Charging
- Did not pass
SB 674 – Air pollution: refineries: community air monitoring systems: fence-line monitoring systems.
- Did not pass
****PREVIOUS POSTS*****
Update: June 23, 2023
Last week, California Interfaith Power & Light brought 23 faith advocates from the Central Valley, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Sacramento area, and encouraged Senate and Assembly members to support crucial environmental justice and climate-friendly legislation. Five groups were formed and attended seven meetings each. The groups’ nicknames gave a sense of purpose to our day: “Starshine”, “Brilliance”, “Sunshine”, “Illumination”, and “Sunrise.”
Our priority legislation included: AB 579 (Ting), establishing 100% of school buses be electric by 2035; AB 631 (Hart), giving the California Department of Geologic Energy Management more legal mechanisms to enforce oil and gas drilling violations; SB 49 (Becker), calling for renewable energy to be widely expanded in business carports and highways; SB 233 (Skinner), instituting a study of and goal of 2030 for EVs to have bidirectional charging; SB 674 (Gonzalez), extending monitoring of, and real-time public notification of emissions from refineries; and a climate bond emphasizing natural resource protections, transportation electrification, and healthy funding to respond to extreme heat.
Prior to the meetings, two briefing were held. One was a policy update event on June 15 in which office staff from Sen. Gonzalez, Sen. Skinner and Assemblymember Hart provided the latest info on their bills, good talking points, and challenges. The other was the morning briefing on June 21, in which Katelyn Roedner Sutter of Environmental Defense, Dan Jacobsen from Environment California, and Allis Druffel spoke on a Climate Bond, SB 49 and AB 579 respectively. The faith advocates, some of whom were well trained on policy, asked excellent questions. Armed with our fact sheets, good talking points and the faith mandate to care for all Creation, we headed to our meetings.
We all had a very good impression of 1021 O Street, the temporary building that houses legislators and their staff while the historical Capitol is being renovated. Despite individual offices not having much meeting space, there was enough space on each floor with tables, chairs, and couches to hold engaging and meaningful discussions.
Some legislative offices were supportive of the bills, others not so much. In a debrief after the meetings, faith advocates knew one thing to be true: even in meetings that were difficult or in which we didn’t feel “heard”, it is crucial that the faith principles of loving our neighbor, fighting for racial and environmental justice, and protecting Earth be overtly proclaimed in the political sphere. One staff member encouraged our action forward with this comment: ‘Faith has been an important part of my life ever since I was a kid. Your efforts make my job easier.’
CIPL and the faith community will watch carefully as these bills move through their assigned committees and onto the Floor for votes. We’ll keep you updated as this process moves forward, including any actions needed.
We’d like to thank several organizational partners who sent faith advocates and/or helped to finance advocates for their travel, including Temple Isaiah Green Team of Los Angeles, St. John’s Lutheran Church of Sacramento, Catholic Charities of Stockton, Wattskanda and Watts Clean Air and Energy Committee of Los Angeles, Lutheran Office of Public Policy, Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Immaculate Heart Community. As the saying goes, “Teamwork makes the dream work!”
****PREVIOUS POSTS*****
CIPL is excited to announce our 2023 state legislate priorities! They highlight issues that we have been working on for years, including protection for frontline communities, the growth of renewable energy, and equity in clean transportation. See our six priority bills below.
Here are six priority bills:
SB 233 – Bidirectional Charging Capabilities by 2030 on cars
During extreme weather events and power outages, batteries in California’s EVs can also support critical electricity needs in homes, businesses and public facilities. Deployed in this manner, California’s transportation electrification can support enhanced grid resilience and reliability.
SB 674 – Air pollution: refineries: community air monitoring systems: fence-line monitoring systems
This bill will create a statewide standard for the refinery fence-line monitoring program to ensure that adequate noxious pollutants are measured, and that best practices and technologies are deployed in order to better protect the health and wellbeing of the surrounding communities.
SB 49 – Energy Renewable energy: Department of Transportation strategic plan
This bill would require the department, in coordination with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission and the Public Utilities Commission, to develop a strategic plan to lease and license department-owned rights-of-way to public utilities or other entities to build and operate renewable energy generation facilities, energy storage facilities connected to renewable energy generation facilities, and electrical transmission facilities, as specified.
AB 579 – Electric School Buses by 2035
Requires that all purchases of new school buses be zero emission by 2035 and extends the maximum length of transportation service and leasing contracts for zero emission buses. AB 579 is a timely and thoughtful approach to building a healthier future for our next generation.”
AB 631 – Oil Enforcement and Community Protection
Increases civil and other penalties for violations of the state’s governing oil and gas statutes and regulations, and strengthens the Geologic Energy Management Division’s (CalGEM) authority to seek injunctive relief, cease and desist specified activities, and recoup administrative and enforcement costs.
Attention Houses of Worship! Reimbursement Rates are Changing Mid-April
Breaking News: Reimbursement Rate for Solar Decrease Starting Mid-April
As you may have heard, in December 2022 the California Public Utilities Commission sided with utilities and voted to reduce the credit for consumer-generated solar power sent to the grid (Net Metering) by 75% starting mid-April. This change will have serious financial impacts for houses of worship and others considering going solar.
The urgency of climate change is still a very important reason for going solar, and congregations of all sizes and faiths want to do the right thing to care for our environment and cut pollution. But we know that houses of worship and other nonprofits rely on net-metering to make solar affordable, and this change will fall particularly hard on congregations with tight budgets, often located in under-served communities.
Throughout the last two years, people of faith joined with hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of solar advocates to defeat such a proposal. We rallied, marched, planned, organized, wrote letters, made calls and made public comments to the CPUC in many of their meetings. We focused our efforts on Governor Newsom as well, since he had the authority to reign the CPUC in. We received no assistance.
One victory the solar coalition achieved – a monthly solar tax was taken off the table. This was not a small achievement and it showed the strength and the power of the people when we work together. Going forward, we will continue to follow this story and highlight ways in which faith congregations can adopt solar in an affordable manner.
There IS still time to go solar under the current Net Metering structure. California Interfaith Power & Light has partnered with RE-volv to help congregations finance solar for no upfront costs, and this partnership is more important than ever. That’s why we have organized a webinar for February 9th with RE-volv and other partners for congregations to get the scoop and make a plan now to go solar, before the new policy takes effect. We especially welcome congregations located in under-served communities of color.
Details:
-Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 9, 11:00am
-Speakers:
—Pastor Curtis Robinson, Faith Baptist Church, Oakland
—Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Founder, Green the Church
—Representatives from RE-volv and CIPL
Click here for more info and to RSVP
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