How Pray for our Pacific is strengthening the Pacific Climate Movement.
Pray for our Pacific was launched in Samoa on the 11th of July, with a registration page calling on people in the Pacific and Pacific Islanders around the world to gather their faith communities together for a special service on climate change and climate action.
Less than 2 months later, the campaign managed to engage over 9000 people across the Pacific region and provide them with an opportunity to unite in prayer for our common home and share stories about their roles as stewards of the Pacific.
Never before had the Pacific seen mobilisations this large and this diverse. In bringing people together to Pray for our Pacific, the Pacific Climate Movement has found new strength, with more and more people ready to do what they must to protect their Island homes and Stand up for the Pacific.
Countries that participated in Pray for our Pacific.
We looked at the the number of registered events in each country, as well as the estimated number of people that attended those events.
In total, we had 123 events organised in 23 countries, with an estimated number of 9905 people that attended.
Denominations that participated in Pray for our Pacific.
Pray for our Pacific was non-denominational and hoped to unite people across faith communities, in prayer and fellowship centred on climate change and climate action.
The diversity of faith communities that organised events speaks to the shared values across the Pacific, and how integral that is in the face of the climate crisis.
Pray for our Pacific: A Game Changer for the Pacific Climate Movement.
Pray for our Pacific was a reflection of the power of decentralised and distributed organising in the Pacific Climate Movement. 350.org Pacific knew that in order for this campaign to be deeply authentic, it needed to be shaped by community leaders on the frontlines of climate impacts.
In the build up to the first and second weeks of September, we provided some resources on how the event could look, but generally kept guidelines and instructions as simple as possible, to ensure that communities weren’t prescribed campaigns but had the freedom to shape it however was necessary for the community they served in.
The result was an amazing array of Pray for our Pacific mobilisations across the Pacific region and beyond. We watched in awe as mobilisations unfolded across the oceans, and were honoured to guide these events and curate the stories that followed.
As the Pacific Climate Movement grows from strength to strength, the Pacific Climate Warriors are gathering before the end of the year to plan ways in which they can wield the power built with Pray for our Pacific. Their hope is dismantle the power of the fossil fuel industry and ensure that the big polluters are held accountable for their role in destroying their Island homes.
