FAITH leaders are pressing politicians to ensure the Cop28 climate change conference counts, warning that humanity stands “on the brink of untold destruction” without urgent action.

They are calling on the government to make paying into a loss and damage fund a key priority at the United Nations climate talks, which begin later this week in Dubai.

The 11 Scottish faith leaders are also demanding that British ministers commit to making the biggest polluters contribute to the fund.

They say that this would urgently deliver support to communities already experiencing climate breakdown, while also providing loss and damage finance in the form of grants, rather than loans.

Signatories to the letter include representatives of the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Catholic Bishops Conference, Hindu Temple of Scotland, Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Community, Salvation Army and Scottish Religious Leaders Forum.

They are also writing to the leaders of all Britain’s main political parties asking them to use their influence in the run-up the global summit and to sign the Global Parliamentarians’ Pledge on loss and damage.

In a statement accompanying the letter, they say: “The climate crisis is devastating lives and livelihoods across the world, threatening nations and ecosystems and pushing the Earth’s life support systems to their limits. 

“Without urgent action. we are on the brink of untold destruction.

“This is a crisis for all humanity, but it is not experienced equally and not all are equally responsible. 

“Many of the world’s poorest nations, who have contributed the least to climate change, are already paying the price of other nations’ actions.

“The loss and damage fund agreed in principle at Cop27 was a signal that the world is ready to correct this injustice. It must be enacted if we are to redress historic and current harms.”

They recognise that there are “significant” challenges but say that, if those in power recognise the urgency of the crisis and respond with integrity, humility and humanity, “then there is hope.”

The faith leaders arealso calling on the government to ensure that the money for loss and damage is new and additional to existing climate finance commitments.

Other signatories are representatives of the General Meeting for Scotland (Quakers), Interfaith Scotland, Methodist Church in Scotland, Scottish Episcopal Church and United Reformed Church.

The government said it had agreed a robust plan for the loss and damage fund with its international partners.