Talanoa for COP31: creation is a gift, not a marketplace

Talanoa for COP31: creation is a gift, not a marketplace

valter

Thu, 11/05/2026 - 15:24

The World Council of Churches (WCC) co-convened an online interfaith gathering on 4 November in the spirit of the Talanoa Dialogue. Talanoa is a Pacific method that asks three questions: where are we, where do we want to go, and how do we get there. Dozens of people of different faiths met five days before COP31 opens in Antalya, Türkiye.

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COP31, Brazil 2025. Global faith communities gather - both in person in Belém and online - to bring ethical and spiritual voices to climate justice negotiations.

Photo: © Valter Hugo Muniz/WCC

"The temple of creation is not a marketplace; it's a gift to all life on earth, one that we are called to share and care for," said Rev. Henrik Grape, WCC senior advisor for Care for Creation, Sustainability, and Climate Justice. Grape co-chairs the Interfaith Liaison Committee to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The committee, which brings faith traditions into UN climate talks, organized the gathering.

Rev. Charissa Suli, president of the Uniting Church in Australia and…