Religions for PeaceDelivers Petitions for the Protection of the Planet
(Paris, France, 28 November 2015) On the eve of the UN Climate Summit in Paris,Religions for Peace (RfP)joined approximately 400 religious leaders, COP 21 delegates and climate campaigners from across the globe in delivering the petitions collected through theRfP Faiths for Earth Campaign.
(L-R) Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town the Rt. Rev. Thabo Makgoba, Mr. Mithika Mwenda, Ms. Lotifa Begum, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, and Rev. Kyoichi Sugino
1,780,528 million people joined a collection of faith-based petitions urging political leader to take decisive action to curb global warming and help poor countries to adapt to climate changes.
(L-R) Ms. Deepika Singh, Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, Mr. Nicolas Hulot, and Ms. Lotifa Begum
The petition was presented to UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Ms. Christiana Figueres and Special Envoy of the French President for the Protection of the Planet, Mr. Nicolas Hulot on Friday, November 28 at the 'Faith in Climate Justice' event. The event was organized by four international faith-based networks working together for a common cause:RfP, ACT Now for Climate Justice, Our Voices, and the Global Catholic Climate Movement.
Several key individuals spoke at the event: from the Philippines, former COP negotiator Mr. Yeb Sano; from Brazil, Cardinal Claudio Hummes; from South Africa, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town the Rt. Rev. Thabo Makgoba; from the US, Rev. Kyoichi Sugino ofRfPInternational; from Kenya, Mr. Mithika Mwenda, Coordinator of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance; and from Bangladesh, Ms. Lotifa Begum of Islamic Relief Worldwide.
Dr. Din Syamsuddin
Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General,RfPInternational said: "Meeting the challenge of climate change will help transform us into who we are called to be: one human family living in community with the earth and the Divine."
"Climate change is an ethical crisis that needs each and every one of us to take urgent moral action," said Dr. Din Syamsuddin, Chair, Centre for Dialogue and Cooperation among Civilisation (CDDC) and Co-President ofRfPat an official side event on the first day of COP 21. He then outlined the concrete actions taken by theRfP Faiths for Earth Campaign, particularly the one that he is leading in Indonesia, Siaga Bhuni (Earth Alert) that is educating people on climate change issues, promoting eco-friendly houses of worship and a clean, pollution free environment.
Participants of the RfP Global Religious Youth Leaders' Summit
More than 50 youth leaders representing diverse religious traditions from 35 countries also joined the delivery event. Prior to joining, theseRfPyouth leaders held a three-day summit on the theme:Welcoming the Other: Multi-religious Youth Respond to the Challenges of Violent Religious Extremism, Refugee Crisis and Climate Change. Joining the youth leaders were representatives of the United Nations and intergovernmental institutions, and experts and practitioners from civil society organizations. The Summit participants condemned the violence committed in the name of religion and rejected any attempt to fuel distrust and cycles of discrimination and violence to polarize and divide our communities. The youth leaders committed to further strengthen their effort to advance Peace. A two-year action plan was developed and a strong multi-religious statement was issued defining their future actions and their firm commitment to ensure its implementation.
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RELIGIONS FOR PEACE--the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition-advances common action among the world's religious communities for peace.Religions for Peaceworks to transform violent conflict, advance human development, promote just and harmonious societies, and protect the earth. The globalReligions for Peacenetwork comprises a World Council of senior religious leaders from all regions of the world; six regional inter-religious bodies and more than ninety national ones; and the Global Women of Faith Network and Global Interfaith Youth Network.
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At this week’sUnited Nations Conference on Climate Change, over 40,000 attendees will discuss the future of global attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But which countries are the biggest supporters of climate change action?
A new studyby Pew Research shows that in most countries, there’s a large gap between concern about climate change and the willingness to act. But the results are a bit different than you might expect.
The study, which polled people in 40 nations, found that people worldwide are worried about how climate change will affect Earth’s future. A majority of people surveyed in each nation felt that climate change is a serious problem, and 54 percent worldwide characterized climate change as “a very serious problem.”
The most concerned respondents were in Latin America (74 percent) and Africa (61 percent), with the smallest number of concerned citizens in the Middle East (38 percent). United States respondents ranked near the bottom of concern—only 45 percent of Americans surveyed believe that global warming is very serious, and only 30 percent were “very concerned that climate change will harm me personally.”
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/which-countries-are-most-open-curbing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-180957408/#VGOgPCXW5YemRlhW.99 Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter
People's push: Isobel Monie and Menna McAlpin at the BREAZE and Ballarat Climate Action Group Climate March on Saturday. The two women spoke on behalf of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. PICTURE: Luka Kauzlaric
Ballarat joined major cities all over the world by hosting a climate rally on the weekend.
The Saturday-afternoon march from outside Town Hall to Camp Street brought over 150 people together to show their support for action on climate change.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will travel to France on Sunday before the COP21 conference.
The crowd was optimistic about change at the summit.
Organiser Ian Rossiter, the president of BREAZE, said people were certainly hoping for a stronger approach to curbing emissions from the world leaders who will attend.
“There was a groundswell of optimism (at the march),” he said.
“People are thinking the climate talks might lead to unilateral, international moves to curb emissions.”
About a third of the crowd indicated they had travelled to Melbourne for Friday’s rally, which drew 60,000 people to the CBD.
Irene Salmont, who came from Daylesford for the rally, said she was there because it was such a crucial fight.
“It’s one of the most important issues, ever, really,” she said.
“We need confirmed lower emissions agreements,” she said.
The last big climate change summit, in Copenhagen, ended without any major agreement, and the message coming from speakers on Saturday, including Buninyong MP Geoff Howard, was that limiting the damage from climate change was all an agreement could hope for.
Deputy Mayor and Greens councillor Belinda Coates said the effects of a harsher climate were already being felt in Ballarat.
“We’ve had the hottest in spring in 107 years...and the second driest ever,” she said.
Cr Coates said it was also possible to make change on a city level, where she said much of the fight against climate change was happening.
The crowd had assembled behind the Art Gallery of Ballarat on Camp Street for the speeches, and those applauding the strident calls for change ranged from the very young to the more experienced members of society.
Mr Rossiter said extreme weather events had started to hit the big end of town, which is why he was confident Paris would see a binding agreement.
Mr Turnbull has already pushed his climate change credentials before the summit, putting forward a declaration on the issue at the Commonwealth heads of government.
“Ahead of COP21 it is a powerful signal to other countries of the world to show a similar level of ambition and commitment to working together for a strong result in Paris,” he said.
A weak deal would be dangerous because it would achieve little but instil complacency, argues this week's leader
Posted by New Scientist on Thursday, 26 November 2015
As representatives of many religious traditions and different faiths, we stand together in our moral obligation to care for sacred Earth, the most vulnerable people and all human life as a gift entrusted to our common care as we are confronted by the growing impacts of climate change in all corners of the world.
More extreme weather events disrupt food production and water security, exacerbate hunger, cause economic insecurity and forced displacement. We share a common concern for nature and for global social justice, and are deeply concerned that climate change is a threat to precious human life, and to the survival of humanity unless strong and urgent action is taken to address the causes.
We acknowledge the overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is human induced, and that the failure to address its root causes will result in impacts escalating in intensity and frequency, especially amongst the world's poor and vulnerable who are already bearing the burden disproportionately.
We want world leaders to listen and act decisively for a just transition to clean energy. Australia has the technological and economic capacity to deliver this life-preserving transformation, and it is an opportunity to play our part in addressing the common environmental challenge humanity faces.
Across Victoria's faith communities, we share the call for Australia's and the world's leaders meeting in Paris in December for the United Nations climate summit to act with courage and compassion to address the fundamental drivers of climate change, to care for sacred Earth, and to protect the most vulnerable.
Faith Communities Council of Victoria is comprised of the following peak bodies: Baha'i Community of Victoria, Brahma Kumaris Australia, Buddhist Council of Victoria, Hindu Community Council of Victoria, Islamic Council of Victoria, Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria and Victorian Council of Churches.
Our thoughts are with the people of Paris and indeed all the victims of recent tragedies brought on by war, fear, and hate. The challenges facing our world are enormous.The events that unfolded in Paris and Beirut over recent days show just how much more work needs to be done to achieve lasting peace and democracy around the globe. The perpetrators of these heinous crimes must be brought to justice and we must redouble our efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. But we must resist the urge to lash out in anger or retribution because that risks making a terrible situation worse. Hate is the problem, not the answer. We are already seeing those who are trying to escape terror and violence in their homelands blamed for the atrocities of others. Now more than ever we need to stand up for people fleeing violence rather than turning our backs on them. If we don't stand up for the families escaping this cruelty and brutality, who will? We are a movement who believe firmly that there is hope for humanity and the planet. Now more than ever we must come together and not let these hateful actions divide us. Many of us are reeling from the events of the last week. Our hearts go out to the families and friends who have lost people they love, and whose lives have been irreparably changed.
The
Faith Communities Council of Victoria has issued the following statement in
response to the recent acts of violence in Paris andBeirut:
As leaders
and people of faith, we offer our prayers and sympathies to family members and
loved ones of those killed and wounded in Paris and Beirut. The loss of
innocent life is senseless and we pray for the victims of these horribleattacks.
We unequivocally condemn these callous and senseless acts of
violence - no belief, cause, or grievance justifies such acts of violence. We
pray that the perpetrators are found and brought tojustice.
We must remember
these acts are committed by extremists, who although claim to be Muslims, do
not represent the mainstream Muslim approach to religion or sanctity oflife.
Faith
Communities Council of Victoria is comprised of the following peakbodies:
Baha'i Community of Victoria, Brahma Kumaris
Australia, Buddhist Council of Victoria,
Hindu Community Council of Victoria,
Islamic Council of Victoria,
Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Sikh
Interfaith Council of Victoria and Victorian Council ofChurches.
Dear Ian,
