Role of Believers in Addressing Climate Change
Extracts from an article by Christopher Wells, Abu Dhabi first published on Vatican News.
Ahead of the COP-28 Climate Summit in Dubai, religious leaders from around the world are meeting in Abu Dhabi to emphasize the role of believers in the response to the global crisis of climate change.
Extracted:
The summit has been organized by the Muslim Council of Elders, in collaboration with the COP28 Presidency, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the Holy See, and aims at discussing the ethical responsibilities of faith leaders in addressing the climate crisis.
Leading figures representing the world’s major religious traditions will also be addressing the collaboration between faith and science, discussing strategies for amplifying the voices of religious leaders, and highlighting ways to engage grassroots communities in achieving sustainable development.
They will be joined by academics, environmental experts, and advocates, as well as representatives of young people, women, and indigenous communities.
‘A unified cry’ to address a universal threat
The Summit, taking place on 6th – 7th November, will include calls for action from climate change activists; as well as discussions on topics such as faith and sustainability and faith for planetary resurgence.
Summit participants are also expected to deliver a unified faith declaration on climate action aimed at harnessing the collective influence of religious representatives, communities, and institutions to inspire humanity to advance climate justice.
During the meeting, the Muslim Council of Elders, along with the Holy See, the COP-28 presidency, the UNEP and a host of faith partners will sponsor a first-of-its-kind “Faith Pavilion” serving as a central hub for fostering interfaith collaboration and engagement…
Let Us Pray
We give thanks for this unity of purpose… for the beauty of creation.
We pray for courage and compassion to transform those human activities destroying nature and altering the climate system on which our lives depend.
We pray for protection of the poor and most vulnerable communities, those least responsible yet most affected by our insufficient climate action.
We pray that our leaders grasp the urgency expressed in the latest science, and guide our economic systems to reject dependence on extraction, exploitation and accumulation through dispossession.
We pray for wisdom, courage and compassion in our climate negotiators at COP-28.
We pray for human rights and Indigenous People’s Rights to be included and better protected, including protection of these rights in carbon trading schemes.
We pray for an inclusive conference, in which the voices of the least powerful are heard alongside the most powerful.
We offer these thanksgivings and prayers with all that is in our hearts, some of this still making its way into words.
Extracted: (an elaboration of a beautiful, poignant prayer of Ms.Lindsey Fielder Cook.)
Communications
