The statement identifies the current ecological crisis as being caused by humans. According to the WCC, countries of the North are responsible for the world's ecological debt due to historic and current exploitation and environmental degradation of southern hemisphere countries.

The statement calls on churches to pressure governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to less than 350 parts per million (ppm) by adopting a fair and binding deal at the Copenhagen UN climate conference December 2009.

Ecological debt is the real cost that policies of expansion and globalization have on developing nations. The statement calls on the cancellation of "illegitimate financial debts" of the poorest nations in the South as part of social and ecological compassion.