Christian Climate Observers Program at COP28 (2023): Application

           December 6th – 13th, 2023 (Week 2)

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Focus: UN Climate Change Conference 2023, a.k.a. COP28

             Formally known as

             The 28th Meeting of Conference of Parties,

             UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

             (Officially from November 30th – December 12th, 2023)

Fee: USD 1,300  per participant

• This Standard Fee covers lodging, breakfast, carbon offsets for travel, and program costs.
• Participants will need to cover their own airfare and most meals.
• We have some scholarships available for those who require financial assistance in order to attend, particularly students and those from the Global South.
• The Standard Fee this year is exceptionally high, due to the expensive costs of lodging. We are actively seeking for other less expensive options, which might lead to a lower Standard Fee accordingly.

                                                                       *******

The Christian Climate Observers Program (CCOP) is designed to equip Christian leaders with the tools, experiences, knowledge, and relationships to help strengthen their engagement with climate action, advocacy, and education.  We are intentionally Christian and largely Protestant with a somewhat “evangelical” leaning (*note below), though we aim to transcend its socio-cultural, political and ecclesiological implications. The Christian Climate Observers Program welcomes participants from all Christian confessional traditions, whether Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, or someone in between.

Because of the original intent, objectives and nature of this program, while we gladly accept applications from any Christian, please note that we prefer young emerging leaders from Christian communities least engaged on climate issues, those with a strong faith background, and strive for a demographically diverse group, especially with regards to race and gender.  Other important considerations include participant’s background and experience, career aspirations, and spheres of influence.

Application DeadlineThe deadline to apply for the Christian Climate Observers Program at COP28 is Friday July 14, 2023 (before 23:59 PDT).

Selected applicants may be advanced to the interview process, in which case you will be contacted to arrange a short Zoom interview.

Reference LettersYour application will not be considered complete UNTIL we receive as least one reference letter. Please refer to this document For Applicant References (CCOP-2023) for instructions and share it with your chosen referrer.

Reference letters should come from a non-related adult who has first-hand knowledge of your engagement with climate-related activities. We suggest you ask the referrer to write their letter as soon as possible. Your referrer should send their letter directly to: [email protected]Reference letters should address the following:

1) The referrer’s relationship to you
2) The vitality of your Christian faith
3) The character traits that make you a strong candidate for the CCOP program
4) Your commitment to help addressing the climate crisis
5) Your interpersonal skills and ability to get along with othersReferences must be received by July 14, 2023 (before 23:59 PDT) at the latest, and preferably earlier.Our website: http://www.ccopclimate.org/

* Having acknowledged that the term and reputation of “evangelical” has been tainted and become controversial in recent years, particularly in the US, we simply refer the term “evangelical” to the definition by church history scholar Dr. David Bebbington, who notes four distinctive aspects of evangelical faith: conversionism, biblicism, crucicentrism, and activism, noting, “Together they form a quadrilateral of priorities that is the basis of Evangelicalism.” (Bebbington, David W., 1993, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s, London UK: Routledge)

The origin and continuous existence of this program see its theological basis in the Creation Care and the Gospel: Jamaica Call to Action, with its two major convictions:

• Creation care is indeed a ‘gospel issue within the lordship of Christ’ (CTC I-7-A)
• We are faced with a crisis that is pressing, urgent, and that must be resolved in our generation.

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