The United Nations Global Climate Change Conference (AKA COP26) is being hosted in Glasgow from the 31st of October to the 12th of November 2021. As the world’s attention focuses on Climate issues, we are taking this opportunity to invite you, the Church, to join us in prayer and action.

Have you thought about running a prayer space focused on climate change issues? We would love to share some prayer activities to help you get started.

As humans, we do many things that damage our world. One example is how much single-use plastic we use. Recently, laws have been bought into place to try and reduce it, but plastic still remains in our seas and our countrysides for hundreds of years and is damaging our planet and the creatures too.

Plastic Planet is a prayer activity aimed to bring awareness to pupils about the effects of single-use plastic and encourage them to think about how they could live differently to help save the planet. Find out more about running this prayer activity here.

Climate change affects our world in many ways, including causing changes to weather patterns. In Bangladesh, people say climate change tastes like salt because increased rainfall is flooding homes and farms making the crops taste like salt from the seawater.

Rising Seas is a prayer activity that invites pupils to read case studies from Bangladesh and think about those who are facing the effects of climate change. The pupils are invited to taste a pinch of salt, and then write hopes or prayers on post-it notes for people affected by rising sea levels.

Our world’s climate is changing and this is affecting people across the globe. Raising student awareness of climate change is important as they think about their place in the world and what impact it might have on them.

Climate Change Windmills is a prayer activity that invites pupils to think about the effects of climate change on communities and the world. As pupils think about climate change they are invited to write their prayers and thoughts onto the paper before making it into a windmill.

Weather is a short series of prayer activities that list different types of weather and invite pupils to use each of them as a focus of reflection and prayer. The five types of weather are related to different thoughts and feelings, including being thankful, expressing need, being sorry, seeking, guidance, hopes and promises. This activity series can be adapted to focus on climate change issues and the world we live in.

The world around us is amazing, the plants and animals, the rivers and mountains, the stars and sunsets are all beautiful. Whether people believe in a God who created the world or not, it’s easy to be grateful when we stop to look and think about the world we live in.

Forest Thanks is a prayer activity that encourages pupils to look at and think about the beauty in nature, and it invites them to express their gratitude.

 Our carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air because of our energy needs. We all need to buy food, use a car or travel on public transport, use electricity in our homes, buy clothing and other things.

Carbon Footprints is a prayer activity that encourages pupils to think about their carbon footprint and how their choices can make a difference.

Check out 24-7 Prayer’s resource: Pray for Climate Justice: COP26 for more ways to get involved.

Other organisations have been developing some amazing resources too. Here are a couple that we really like:

WWF – Forest of Promises

Christian Aid – Prayer Boat