Relay to COP26
Short Read (5 mins)
Pilgrimage is a tradition that goes right back to the earliest days of Christianity when the early church met around the graves of the martyrs. From the 4th century onwards, it became part of the great narrative of the Christian life, whether from grand journeys to the shrines in Canterbury, Rome or Jerusalem, or small-scale sites celebrating local saints. Pilgrimage was an act that Christians did to celebrate and to commemorate, in times of great joy and in times of desperation. It was a moment where communities and individuals would collectively get together, physically walk a stretch of road and path, and cry out for change, for help and supplication in days of trial.
With the latest IPPC report on climate change, we know we are yet again in the time of trial.
Pilgrimage also lies close to the heart of many Christian Socialists, whether it was the Anglo-Catholic Socialists restarting the great pilgrimage to Walsingham or the Reverend James Barr, the first Labour MP for Motherwell, taking his fellow Scottish Labour MPs to observe the graves of the Covenantors, walking to commemorate, to inspire and to challenge has often been at the heart of what we do. And that’s without talking about the great secular pilgrimages of the last two hundred years, the marches of the Chartists, the Jarrow Marchers, the great protests that have rocked our nation and called out against injustice. Much like the original pilgrimages, these too are about uniting communities so that, collectively, they can call for support in times of need, for action in times of challenge, and bear witness to the realities of the present situation.
Even the most cursory of glances will tell you that the present realities of climate change are dire.
It’s this present reality that has inspired the Young Christian Climate Network (YCCN) to start its climate walk from the G7 in Cornwall to COP26 in Glasgow because it is clear our planet is in a time of crisis. As we emerge into the post-pandemic world, wildfires across Europe, famine in Madagascar and countless other disasters have reminded us once again that climate change is happening and countries around the world are already having to adapt. But of course, we live in an unequal world and the extreme effects of climate change cost some countries far more than others. It’s a horrendous fact that climate vulnerable countries are falling ever more into debt to countries like the UK due to the costs of climate adaption – which results in a situation where not only do some individuals in the UK financially benefit from suffering elsewhere but, through taxation, so do our public services. That’s why we at the YCCN are calling for climate finance to be at the heart of any deal at COP26 as we believe that this injustice needs to end now before the effects of climate change allow it to be compounded many times over. We need to make sure that no country should be pushed further into debt fighting climate change.
So, like those marches of the past, our relay brings a message to the world leaders in Glasgow from communities across the UK and across the Global South. As we go through towns and past churches, marching from Cornwall to Glasgow, we’re calling on them to support us to bring together the voices of as many people as possible. We know it’s only with the voices of all people of goodwill do we have a chance of moving the hearts of world leaders. But like the persistent widow in Luke 18: 1-8, we know that with determination we can make a difference.
So, come and join our pilgrimage, this relay across the United Kingdom. For though the days may be dark we know that we are called to be lights in the darkness, to fight for justice and to call for inequalities to be leavened. We know that so long as people of goodwill are willing to fight the present evil, all things are possible.
Article Author Stephen Watt
So please join us, whether for a day or a month; do get involved, we would love to see you walk with us.
The best way to find out more and register for the relay is to go directly to our website: https://www.yccn.uk/
