I deeply believe that caring for the environment is not just a moral duty but a spiritual one. God entrusted us with the stewardship of creation, and it is imperative that we understand that the climate crisis is not a distant threat; it is a present reality that not only disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized—the very people that our faith calls us to love and serve—but also communities that have ways and means—for truly no one is exempt from the fury of extreme weather. From a theological perspective, the Earth is a sacred gift, and its degradation is a violation of our divine calling to care for what God has created.
I have spent almost 30 years trying to understand how I can be most impactful as an environmental justice activist and in my role as director of NC Interfaith Power & Light I have offered 100+ presentations on why people of faith should be at the forefront of developing and implementing solutions to address the climate crisis. Yet it was only just before the pandemic that I learned the term “global equitable climate finance” and was inspired that where the Bible directs that those who have been blessed with abundance must share with those in need, this principle directly applies to the global climate crisis.
For the past 5 years, I have been learning the concept of a climate finance “fair share.” This principle emphasizes that each country should contribute to global climate goals based on factors like:
- Historical Responsibility: The amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases a country has emitted historically.
- Economic Capacity: The wealth and economic development of a country, which affects its ability to mitigate climate change.
- Equity: The need to ensure that developing countries, which have contributed less to the problem, are not expected to bear the same burden as wealthier countries.
Once we, as people of faith recognize the primary pillars of fair shares we must ask how this is regulated, and how do we ensure that countries that have caused the most harm will finance the reparations, mitigations, and adaptation solutions necessary to address this planetary crisis at scale?
The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 at the United Nations climate negotiations was designed to answer these questions for governments, but as the years have passed it is clear that the countries that have caused the most harm are not willing to pay for the loss and damages or make the investments necessary to protect the most vulnerable, who are suffering first and worst around the world.
Therefore, NC Interfaith Power & Light—along with a coalition of 65+ climate action groups and frontline community leaders—has endorsed the US Fair Share Nationally Determined Contribution (“Fair Shares NDC”) laying out the updated measures the United States must commit to enacting to do its “fair share” of the global effort to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, based on its role and responsibility as the world’s wealthiest country and largest historical carbon polluter.
The Fair Shares NDC served as a rallying call for climate justice policy during the 2024 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the 29th Global Conference of Parties (COP29).
Regardless of who holds political office, we must continue to educate, inspire, and mobilize people of faith and conscience to engage in the programmatic work on international climate finance, which aims to phase out fossil fuels and hold the U.S. accountable for historical emissions.
Together, we can ensure that God’s creation is not only protected but also restored, so that all people—especially the most vulnerable—can thrive. Our faith compels us to act with urgency and love for our neighbors, both near and far. Climate finance is not charity—it is justice.
To become part of the Global Fair Share Movement sign up here.
Watch 6min. Explainer Video: https://usfairshare.org/video/
