Reflections of Elizabeth Perry – Programmes Director, Anglican Alliance

As Jesus contemplated the future destruction of the temple in Matthew 24:12, he told his disciples, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of many will grow cold”. Jesus knew how discouraged we can become – that when it seems evil has the upper hand, when we see the destruction of what we love – that empathy can decline and apathy increase.

It’s easy to look at the state of the world today and be discouraged. But we cannot afford to lose our spark. Together, with one another and with the fire of God’s Spirit, we can – we must – keep our love burning fiercely.

And there are reasons to be encouraged…

Despite the setbacks and disappointments of the COP in Brazil, the frustrated and angry nations did not walk away – they chose multilateralism; they chose to keep the process alive.

The agreement itself, though deplorably watered down in its final text, holds the line on some essentials like the primacy of IPCC science, the 1.5°C temperature ceiling and the continued expectation that countries must implement their nationally determined contributions.

COP30 also saw a shift toward implementation, with billions pledged for forests, land rights, methane reduction, resilient health systems, ocean protection clean energy infrastructure and land rights for indigenous people.

Although the political story is the one that catches the headlines, there is another economic reality that isn’t being told. It is an astonishing good news story of the economic transformation already reshaping energy systems at extraordinary speed, driving down the cost of energy for businesses and individuals and being a liberating force for poor communities across the world. This news includes:

• World solar costs fell 12% last year.
• Battery storage costs have fallen 93% since 2010.
• 94% of renewable power built last year was cheaper than the cheapest fossil fuel alternative.
• Spain’s industrial electricity costs have flipped from one-third above Europe’s average to 20 percent below after a rapid expansion of wind and solar.
• Pakistan has installed twenty times more solar in three years than the UK, France, Canada and New Zealand combined.
• Uruguay now generates 98 percent of its power from renewables, halving costs and creating 50,000 jobs.
• India’s renewables have met more than half of national electricity demand on multiple occasions this year.
• Solar mini grids in Cameroon and Zambia now power tens of thousands of rural homes and businesses.
• Global transport electrification is already displacing two million barrels of oil a day, more than Germany’s daily oil use.
• The trend for the world’s forests is in the right direction: Worldwide, deforestation is down 20% compared to last decade, and deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by 11% just in the past year.

And, of course, the Communion Forest is a global sign of hope. Anglicans in every part of the world are taking action to conserve, protect and restore precious ecosystems. Each action on its own might be small, but together they add up; together we can encourage one another and keep the flame of hope – and love – alive.

The factual material in this piece is drawn from a summary of the official COP30 podcast from Outrage + Optimism, which includes insights from Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson, details of which can be found at www.outrageandoptimism.org . The summary was written by Mike Perry and can be found COP30 Outcome – Dr. Mike Perry: