Various faith groups attended a World Council of Churches (WCC) panel on global climate issues last January 27 to discuss the results from the United Nations Climate Change conference (COP 20) and the Peoples Summit held in Lima, Peru in the previous year. Hosted in Geneva, Switzerland, speakers at the panel included Valeriane Bernard of Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Curtis Doebbler of International Lawyers, Budi Tjahjono of Franciscans International, and Guillermo Kerber of WCC Care for Creation and Climate Justice.

Organized by the Geneva Interfaith Forum on Climate Change, Environment, and Human Rights, attendees discussed plans concerning global climate justice heading into the next installment of the UN Climate Chance conference hosted later in the year in Paris, France. Beatriz Schulthess, a Religions for Peace co-President, moderated the discussion and elaborated on the work done by Religions for Peace in Lima via a joint project with the WCC.

Kerber noted that the outcomes in COP 20 were somewhat disappointing but added that there remains signs of hope that concrete actions towards combating the effects of climate change are highly possible in the future. He expressed hope that more binding agreements would be put in place at COP 21 in Paris.

Commitments have been made by the United States, the European Union, and China in reducing carbon emissions, and growing contributions to the Green Climate Fund. The UN Special Procedures division has also brought special attention towards referencing human rights as part of the climate agreement to be formulated in Paris.

Various youth groups from the Latin American and Caribbean Secretariat of the World Student Christian Federation and the Inter-Religious Council of Peru also organized their own initiatives on interfaith cooperation. A recent one day conference held at the Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya had a round table discussion on eco-theological topics.