The statement called for repentance from those responsible. And it said every person should have an equal right to emit the greenhouse gases many scientists say are adding to the climate's natural instability. They have the moral responsibility to substantially reduce their own emissions. In a clear reference to the approach adopted by the US and several other developed countries, the WCC said that wealthy polluting countries should not be allowed to buy their way out of the problem by paying for projects in other countries. True forgiveness is available from God, but only after true repentance by the sinner.
True repentance requires a conversion of the heart and a transformation of behaviour.
Countries with high emissions need a conversion of the heart and demonstrably new behaviour before they seek forgiveness. The WCC official who made the statement to the conference, the Revd Dr Angelique Walker-Smith, is herself a US citizen. She told BBC News Online that sin against the climate involved both countries and individuals. In a related move, the heads of 28 Protestant and Orthodox Christian denominations in the US have written to President Clinton, urging him to complete the negotiations for a strong Kyoto Protocol, the international climate treaty. The letter says it is a matter of justice.