UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, 7-18 December

	More COP15 pictures on Flickr...

World leaders have a unique opportunity to write history together on the occasion of the largest conference on Climate Change since the Kyoto agreement. Failure in Copenhagen is no option, as a new global climate deal is vital for our common future. CIDSE has been advocating and campaigning for a fair, effective and binding climate agreement. We condemn recent political moves that seek to downplay expectations for the Summit and urge political leaders do what's right and urgently needed! It's time for Climate Justice!

• Overview of CIDSE and Caritas activities in Copenhagen
  
• Daily updates from Copenhagen
  
  
  
  

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Climate March - Planet first , people first

CIDSE, its member organisations and southern partners joined with 350 other organisations and networks from 54 countries for a Climate March on Saturday 12 December. Over 100.000 participants asked world leaders take action to combat climate change now.

Impressions from the march: Watch a short video  on our YouTube channel, or see our pictures from the march. 

512,984 signatures for Climate Justice

512,984 people signed up to global campaigns run by the Catholic networks of development agencies Caritas Internationalis & CIDSE and the Countdown to Co2penhagen campaign, joining forces to demand a fair, effective and binding climate change agreement in Copenhagen.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu handed over their signatures and pledges for Climate Justice to Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary. On the stage, Southern climate experts including CIDSE partners Elizabeth Peredo (Fundación Solón - Bolivia) and Nafisa d’Souza (Laya Resource Centre - India) shared their concrete expertise in dealing with the impacts of climate change in the South.

Impressions from the ceremony: Listen to Archbishop Tutu's and Yvo de Boer's speeches, watch the video news report of Reuters or see our pictures from the hand-over ceremony.

Ecumenical celebration

On 13 December participants at the UN climate summit were invited to an ecumenical celebration in the presence of religous and COP15 leaders and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark at the Copenhagen Cathedral. The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams preached the sermon.

The celebration was broadcast live on Danish television.

Ring the Bells for Climate Justice

More than 2600 parishes around the world have answered the joint call of CIDSE, Caritas Internationalis, the World Council of Churches and APRODEV and partipated in the International Bell Ringing on December 13th. The bells rang 350 times to call for urgent action on climate change.

Sunday 13 December marked the height of the talks at UN climate negotiations in the Danish capital. On this very day, churches across the world rang their bells for Climate Justice. An alarm call sent to those negotiating the measures needed to secure our shared future. 

Why? The bells rang 350 times as a reference to the 350 CO2 parts per million in our atmosphere, considered by scientists as the safe upper limit for the planet and the people.