Living Planet Whats App. (WCC Photo)
World Council of Churches | Nov. 6, 2025
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is piloting a real-time WhatsApp channel so congregations worldwide can follow the COP30 climate negotiations in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21 as they happen. Through WhatsApp, the WCC is delivering daily live updates, behind-the-scenes interviews, practical resources, and frontline stories straight to church members' phones - making climate justice accessible from the negotiating halls to Sunday school classrooms.
This opens the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025-2034), framing COP30 as a pilgrimage rather than simply a conference.
"We're not simply covering an event," said Marianne Ejdersten, WCC director of communication. "We're inviting the global church to journey with us - to pray, to witness, and to act for climate justice."
With two billion users globally, WhatsApp reaches churches and faith communities where they already communicate daily - no new app downloads or special accounts required. People only need to follow and ensure the notifications are not muted.
Subscribers will receive five updates each day. Pilgrim Notes are morning video highlights that preview the day ahead. Ecumenical Lenses brings photography by Albin Hillert from the Lutheran World Federation delegation - images that capture the ecumenical witness at COP30. The Climate Action Toolkit offers advocacy guides, worship materials, and ready-to-use resources for congregations. Creation Stewards shares stories from COP30 delegates to grassroots communities, and the Daily Wrap-Up features behind-the-scenes video interviews with WCC delegates and ecumenical partners reflecting on the day's events.
"We're using simple English, but the morning videos will be in Portuguese with English subtitles, to reach the local audience," explained Valter Hugo Muniz, WCC communication officer, following the coverage on the ground. "The goal to produce content that is accessible and easy to share across contexts - from a rural congregation in Kenya to a university chaplaincy in Germany to a youth group in the Philippines."
Member churches can also share their congregation's climate action story. Send photos, short videos (30-90 seconds), or written reflections (200 words maximum) to media@wcc-coe.org - the channel features subscriber contributions daily.
Click here to join the WhatsApp channel
Follow WCC's COP30 coverage at www.oikoumene.org/cop30
WCC calls COP30 a "kairos moment" for climate transformation (News Release, 4 November)