Windsor Castle, site of the ‘Many Heavens, One Earth: Faith Commitments for a Living Planet’ hosted by prince Philip. Photo: Photo: gailf548/flickr CC:BY.
What is a faith commitment to sustainability?
Alison Prout is finding out
This week I was one of two Quaker representatives participating in a gathering in Windsor of global religious leaders and senior United Nations staff, including Ban Ki-Moon, the secretary-general. Faith groups will be publicly announcing the details of their plans to take immediate and progressive steps to counter the threat of climate change. Take some time to read about how South American Jesuits are uniting in action to protect the Amazon rainforest or the decision to power all Daoist temples in China with solar panels. I guarantee that you will be impressed and inspired. The United Nations is calling the commitments that will be announced at this meeting ‘the biggest civil society movement on climate change in history’.
Ahead of this high profile event I have been reflecting on why faith communities and why now? What does a ‘faith commitment’ mean? Certainly, faith groups can call on enormous numbers, the majority of the world’s population hold religious beliefs and the remainder cannot fail to be influenced by their impact in society. Altering the way religions invest, spend money, buy energy, educate, hold pilgrimages and advocate for political change will make a huge impact. As the meeting is timed especially to come a month ahead of the Copenhagen climate change summit, I hope that those negotiating on our behalf in Copenhagen will feel both the pressure and the support of the billions worldwide who are represented by these plans.
Longevity is another faith community asset. To be effective, change will require deep roots, we need more than a quick fix project. Progressively changing the fundamentals of our behaviour must be about forever and ever. Whatever the outcome of Copenhagen, the science will still be the same, we will still have the challenge of adapting to a low carbon future. Depending on the deal agreed, we may have a political framework that makes it harder or easier, but it still needs to be done. The Copenhagen deal will expire in due course and governments will change; Quakers and other faith communities will still be here.
A faith commitment goes beyond the easily quantifiable. So much attention has been given recently to the special contribution Quakers, or any other faith group, can make on climate change. Recognition of the spiritual crisis at the heart of damaging climate change is becoming mainstream. I know that Ban Ki-Moon has reserved portions of his speech to open the Copenhagen summit to be influenced by and written after this gathering in Windsor. He also knows we need more than the usual politics. The secretary- general of the United Nations has effectively asked faith groups to set the tone for Copenhagen.
One note of warning though. In positioning religious values as some sort of antidote to the crisis of climate change we now can’t escape the spotlight. Faiths are responding to this crisis and stepping forward. But we are all going to need inspiring leadership, love, understanding, hope, determination, courage and faith.
Let us not disappoint.
Details of the faith commitments and the rest of the Windsor event are online at www.windsor2009.org.
For more information about Quaker environmental work see www.quaker.org.uk/environment.
Alison Prout is a programme manager for Quaker Peace & Social Witness.
