African faith leaders and environmentalists push for fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty
Sister Mary Wangare, director of justice, peace, and integrity of creation at Franciscan Africa, reads a statement during an interfaith media briefing on the Fossil Fuel Traty in Nairobi, Kenya, September 20. Dennis Nthenge, of Green Anglican, from left, Hakeem Khalid from Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, Peter Mbaro, director of the Centre for Social Justice and Ethics at Catholic University of Eastern Africa and Kamita, of Hare Krishna group, join the briefing. (Photo by Frederick Nzwili)
Faith leaders and climate activists in Africa announced their support Friday for an international treaty to halt the production and use of fossil fuels, the main cause of climate change, analogous to non-proliferation treaties governing the production of nuclear weapons.
“As people of faith, we have a moral duty to protect God’s creation,” said Ashley Kitisya, the African coordinator of the Laudato Si’ Movement, the global network of Catholics working to ameliorate climate change in the spirit of Pope Francis’s encyclical of the same name. “The Fossil Fuel Treaty gives us a tangible way to act on this duty by advocating for the preservation of our environment for future generations.”
Kitisya spoke at a media briefing organized as part of the Season of Creation, an event observed annually by Christian denominations and Christian climate activists from September 1 to October 4. The 2024 theme, "To Hope and Act with Creation," urges Christians and the world at large to reflect on what organizers say is a sacred responsibility in caring for the Earth.
