"Time is of the essence"

At the "Ecumenical Forum" in Hanover, experts from politics, science and the church discussed the current situation in climate and environmental protection.

On the eve of the United Nations (UN) COP 30 climate negotiations in Bélem, Brazil, the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation working group of the Confederation of Protestant Churches in Lower Saxony and the environmental team of the diocese of Hildesheim organised an event to assess the current situation. Under the heading "Climate, Creation - Hope?", experts from politics, science and the church discussed climate and environmental protection at national and international level.

"It was unclear until the very end whether the agreement could actually be adopted, because it needed the approval of all member states," said Dr Barbara Hendricks, former Federal Minister for the Environment, in her review of the Paris Climate Protection Agreement adopted ten years ago, which limited the rise in the global average temperature to 1.5 °C or well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels.

In his presentation, Dr Sven Rudolph, Climate Policy Officer at the Institute for Church and Society of the Protestant Church of Westphalia, highlighted the discrepancy between the necessary funding for climate protection and what is actually being paid. "The current forecast of 2.8 °C has catastrophic consequences and is only realistic if the climate targets now submitted by the countries are actually met."

Jonas Pohlmann, member of the Lower Saxony state parliament and energy policy spokesperson for the CDU parliamentary group, called for an open-minded approach to technology on the way to consistent climate protection. He described such discussions outside of one's own "bubble" as an important contribution to a broader commitment to climate and environmental protection.

According to Finn-Lennart Koglin, co-founder of Students for Future in Paderborn, many young people had resigned themselves to the prospect of imminent collapse. But the movement is also dynamic and new forms of protest are developing.

Dr Jens Clausen, transformation researcher and co-founder of the Borderstep Institute, was more optimistic about the situation. In September 2025, the share of renewable energies in electricity generation in Germany will be around 68 per cent. Too little is being said about these successes.

Criticism of a climate policy that is perceived as too cautious came from the guests at the forum. Many participants wanted more concrete and ambitious climate protection targets and measures, because - as one participant put it - "Time is pressing." Successful climate and environmental protection requires the joint commitment of politics, business, civil society and also the churches with a more courageous and consistent commitment to creation.

The Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation working group invites you to an online meeting on Tuesday, 11 November at 7.30 pm with the opportunity to get more involved.

Contact the chairman of the working group Tobias Schäfer-Sell:

Statement by Pastor Dr Mauro de Souza

Dr Mauro Batista de Souza is Second Vice President of theEvangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil, which is also a partner church of the Ev.-luth. Mission in Lower Saxony. He joined the Ecumenical Forum with a statement on the occasion of the climate conference in his country. "We hope that COP 30 will push for ambitious commitments to reduce emissions," said Mauro De Souza.