A conversation with climate witnesses at the Kirchentag

“The global climate crisis concerns all of us”

(LWI) – During the Kirchentag in Hanover, Germany, one of the events dedicated to international politics was a panel discussion titled “When your homeland becomes uninhabitable – A conversation with climate witnesses.” The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Head of Global Advocacy, Isaiah Toroitich, moderated the discussion which was organized by the development agency Brot für die Welt, one of the LWF’s long-standing German partners.

Witnesses speaking for the Global South were Dr Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) from Kenya, and Hamira Kobusingye, founder of Climate Justice Africa, from Uganda.

Tobias Goldschmidt, Minister for Energy Transition, Climate Protection, Environment, and Nature of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, presented perspectives from the Global North.

Bishop Kristina Kühnbaum-Schmidt from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Northern Germany, LWF Vice-President for Central Western Europe, contributed theological considerations of the care for creation and climate justice.

Considering migration, skills shortages, and climate policy holistically

A keynote address presented by Dr Kira Vinke, Head of the Center for Climate and Foreign Policy at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) preceded the panel discussion.

Vinke pointed out the connection between climate change, migration, and the increasing uninhabitability of certain regions. She showed how environmental changes such as extreme weather, rising sea levels, and resource scarcity influence migration decisions and how political, social, and economic factors play a role in this.

Finally, she emphasized that migration, skills shortages, and climate policy should be considered holistically to promote sustainable solutions, such as targeted labor migration of skilled workers and professionals from countries with high climate risks.

Vinke presented scientific data by UNICEF, showing that 134.1 million people, a third of whom are children, were displaced by storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires between 2016 and 2021.

Statistics from UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) Vinke presented show that the countries with the highest inherited carbon debt of today's 25-year-olds worldwide are the USA, the UK, Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

Climate witnesses from the South

“For us, the climate crisis is a reality and not an issue for future times,” said Mwenda. He saw the river dry up, on which he and other members of his community had relied for their daily water supply, and where he had gone to catch fish as a youth. “Rainy seasons have become erratic and unreliable,” he said, causing food insecurity, especially in rural areas. That also drives migration and internal displacement. Women, who often till the land, are most affected, as well as their families, who rely on agricultural produce for food and income.

Using the Titanic as a metaphor, Mwenda explained that when a ship sinks, the lives of those on the upper decks are as much at risk as those on the lower ones. “The global climate crisis concerns us all,” said. He called for binding policies and legal frameworks to ensure funding and actions for climate adaptation and mitigation.

Climate activist Kobusingye reminded her audience that “Africa contributes less than five percent of CO2 emissions but is hard hit by the effects of climate change.” Climate justice, therefore, means that developed countries should stand hand in hand with those affected. She called on Germany and other developed country governments to fulfil the promises made at climate conferences such as COP, grant climate reparations to those affected, and support the development of renewable energies.

Kobusingye stressed the socio-economic effects climate change has on vulnerable communities and how the situation is deteriorating concerning human rights, women’s, and children’s rights. She stressed that climate funding should also be made available to local groups and communities who could best address their challenges, rather than to national governments only.

Climate witnesses from the North

Minister Goldschmidt outlined the protection and adaptation measures the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein is taking, considering the climate change impact in the North of Germany. “The sea level has risen by about 20 centimeters, and Schleswig-Holstein has a coastline of about 1,000 kilometers that we need to protect with dykes,” he said. As an adequate dyke costs about 10 million Euro per kilometer, “that money is then not available for other measures.”

In his context, he has noted a widespread reluctance to tackle climate change. Instead, people argue that Germany is “only” contributing two percent of the current CO2 emissions and that other countries with higher emissions, such as the USA and China, should lead climate action instead.

Taking up the theme of the Kirchentag, “Courageous – Strong – Resolute”, Goldschmidt said that speaking truth to power as much as the electorate was urgently needed. “People in developed countries such as Germany need to realize that it is in the interest of their own well-being to address climate change and climate justice globally.” He appealed to the incoming federal government not to step back on climate ambition.

Bishop Kühnbaum-Schmidt noted that in the German context, climate change and climate justice had “taken a backseat in recent times,” with topics such as the war in Ukraine and migration dominating political discussions. Nevertheless, people of faith are called to take responsibility for creation care.

She argued that “not all people carry the same level of responsibility.” Seeing that historically, the wealth of developed countries had grown with their emission rates, she saw them having a greater level of responsibility when it comes to climate action.

Kühnbaum-Schmidt reminded the audience that Germany had reached its Earth Overshoot Day for 2025 on 3 May. “At this rate, we need about three Earths to sustain our lifestyles,” she said.

The bishop underlined the need to listen to the climate witness of those coming from vulnerable communities and to raise awareness for the interconnectedness of climate change with numerous other topics affecting the health, social well-being, and prosperity of all. “At the LWF, we have two mottos that summarize this very well,” she said: “Human beings – not for sale, and Creation – not for sale.”