Anglicans are among the faith groups attending COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, this November. Representatives of The Episcopal Church, the Church of the Province of Central Africa and the Anglican Church of Canada join ecumenical and multi-faith calls for more decisive action on the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, better distribution of resources to respond to climate change, and a tangible plan of action to protect and restore forests, oceans and ice landscapes as ‘lungs of the earth’.
Their presence is another opportunity for Anglican environmental advocates to make their voices heard at a global forum. In October, an Anglican delegation, led by the Rt Revd Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, also attended the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
COP31 is the annual United Nations climate meeting (Conference of the Parties) which brings together governments, scientists, activists, non-governmental organisations, other international stakeholders, Indigenous People and representatives from the communities most affected by climate change as a commitment to dialogue and action.
COP31 is being billed as an ‘implementation COP,’ where governments are expected to deliver on existing pledges rather than make new ones. Implementing fair climate finance is one of the topics discussed at the environmentally focused COP meetings. Parties will discuss the extent to which high-polluting nations should bear the financial burden for the impact on low-polluting developing nations.
Anglicans at COP31
Joining other faith groups at COP31 are Anglicans from three provinces of the Anglican Communion. Charles Bakolo, an Anglican climate advocate from Malawi in the Church of the Province of Central Africa, is attending as a young adult advocate. He is the Honorary Provincial Environmental Coordinator, a Green Anglicans Ambassador and is known for inspiring a group of young people to advocate for an end to single-use, thin plastics in his country.
Speaking about his hopes and expectations from COP31, Charles Bakolo said: ‘In Malawi, we are living the reality of a crisis we did little to cause. Cyclone Freddy and repeated floods have taken lives, washed away harvests and displaced thousands of families. I go to COP31 hoping that the world will finally turn promises into just climate finance that reaches those on the frontline, especially smallholder farmers, women and young people. I also hope to see real commitment to sustainable farming and the protection of nature, drawing on the indigenous wisdom our communities have always carried. As people of faith, we are called to care for creation and for our neighbour. COP31 must be a COP of delivery, not just of words.’
Two representatives from The Episcopal Church are also attending: The Rt Revd Phyllis Spiegel, Bishop of Utah, who, prior to ordination, spent 11 years as a naturalist. As a bishop, she has frequently spoken of her passion for the natural world as an embodiment of God’s glory and power. Lynnaia Main is the Representative to the United Nations for The Episcopal Church and will also be attending. The province has been engaged with the COPs since 1995.
Another Anglican at COP31 is Canon Dave Morgan, who is Canon for Creation Care and Stewardship in the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador (Anglican Church of Canada). Canon David is joining as part of the Christian Climate Observers Programme (CCOP), a non-denominational Christian organisation which seeks to advocate for God’s creation and train the next generation of UN climate observers from a Christian and missional perspective.
Canon David requested prayer through the CCOP newsletter for 'all the people of faith attending COP31, that they might allow their faith to shape their words and actions at COP31 so that we might all collectively sustain and renew the life of the earth'.
The World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance and the Lutheran World Federation recently released a joint statement ahead of COP31 calling for governments to deliver climate justice. ACT Alliance will also be holding a convening role and hosting several side events, facilitating both learning and ecumenical dialogue for faith actors at COP31. Simon Chambers, an Anglican and Director of Communications for the ACT Alliance, is attending.
Climate change across the Communion
Anglicans across the Communion, especially those in coastal communities, are facing severe challenges due to climate change, including more intense and unpredictable extreme weather events, coastal erosion, salinisation of freshwater sources and damage to ocean ecosystems.
This is one of the reasons why oceans and waterways are the focus of the ‘Lungs of the Earth’ campaign this year. The campaign seeks to raise awareness of the damage being done to the oceans as a vital ecosystem and encourage Anglicans to advocate and take action to restore and protect oceans.
Ahead of COP31, Anglicans have been discussing how climate injustice impacts their settings. Anglicans in the Anglican Church of Kenya have met with other faith groups under the banner of the ‘Africa Can’t Wait’ campaign, advocating for fair implementation of climate action and urging a shift from ‘Climate Pledges’ to real action from bodies such as the UN.
Revd Beatrice Ruara from the Anglican Church of Kenya recently said she was ‘deeply concerned by the low levels of finance, symbolising that pledges made are minimally converted into actual financial resources’. She also urged that a ‘focus on non-economic losses and damages is needed, as the destruction of our social and cultural identity by climate change must be accounted for.’
In August 2026, leaders from the Anglican Church in Australia, Melanesia, Papua New Guinea and Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia met in Vanuatu for the annual meeting of the Oceania Anglican Fono (council). Following the meeting, they issued a statement urging nations’ governments to honour their obligations under Article 9 of the Paris Agreement agreed at COP21 in 2015, which states that: ‘developed country Parties shall provide financial resources to assist developing country Parties with respect to both [climate change] mitigation and adaptation’.
More information
Find out more about Anglican advocacy at the United Nations.
Find out more about fair climate finance for Oceania Anglicans.
Learn about the Anglican Communion Office’s Lungs of the Earth campaign, a call to action and advocacy to protect and restore oceans and waterways.
See the joint statement from the World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance and the Lutheran World Federation.