Janet Speth, CSJ on behalf of the Federation Ecology Committee
(Sometimes our submissions require a bit more space. For this issue, the Ecology Committee has chosen to present one article – a Reflection on Climate Change) The 7th Parliament of World Religions (PWR) was held from Nov 1-7, 2018 in Toronto...what an AMAZING experience...8,350 people representing 220 religions and spiritual traditions from around the world sharing on the theme: The Promise of Inclusion, The Power of Love.
First convened in 1893, it was reinstituted 100 years later in 1993, and has continued every 3-5 years in different cities around the world. This year, six main themes were explored including Climate Action.
Repeatedly presenters cited the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which has taken an even more radical stance than the Paris Agreement’s 2 ° and is setting a new target of 1.5 ° above pre-industrial levels if we hope to mitigate the impacts of global warming. The current predictions are dire saying we have only 12 years to act to avoid reaching a point where these effects will be irreversible. This will require intentional personal action, political will and economic investment if we hope to reach what is identified as net 0 (zero) of global human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050.
How can this be achieved? First we must recognize and acknowledge that the climate is a common good as are the forests, the oceans and all the natural world. This is at the heart of Laudato Si’, which was impressively referenced in many PWR talks by many religions and spiritual traditions. The key note talk, Climate Science and Faith, proposed a 2-prong approach to climate action. The first being stepping stones, with short term goals identified. The second they called bridging with longer term goals in place. Five paths were identified to reach 0 carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050:
Path #1: Energy Use: using energy in an efficient way through personal and local institutional strategies;
Path #2: Decarbonize energy: shifting to alternative sources of renewable energy;
Path # 3: Remove fossil fuels from electricity: purchasing electric cars, using batteries powered by solar energy, increasing investments in technology and expanding this technology particularly to the transportation sector;
Path #4: Address carbon removal from nature: advancing small local organic farms which use technology to re-capture the CO2 they release, increasing number of reforestation projects. Key here is - rather than thinking of CO2 as a waste, consider it a resource that can be turned into other energy alternatives. This technology is being developed;
Path # 5: Limit the non-CO2 gases: e.g. controlling methane and using it as energy.
Signs of Hope:
There are signs of hope. Reducing C02 to net 0 levels is doable with political will and economic investment. It would require only 1% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to achieve this goal. Furthermore, there is a shift to a green consciousness particularly in the younger generation; for example, Kehkashan Basu, the founder of the Green Hope Foundation.
We have the technologies available now. However more investment needs to go into the developing the alternate energy sector.
Looking at the Bigger Picture
It is clearly evident that there is a growing crisis in our world in which humanity is experiencing troubled relationships with each other and Earth. And, yet humanity also possesses the capacity, as well as the responsibility, to choose a future of peace, justice, and care for one another and Earth, an “ecological civilization,” which is grounded in the common core values of the world’s religions. The concept of an Ecological Civilization was addressed by many PWR presenters including David Korten and Matthew Fox.
In broad terms, an ecological civilization involves a synthesis of global economic, educational, political, agricultural, and other societal reforms toward sustainability. It is a relatively new consciousness, being raised in the 1980’s and now embodied in the Global Ethic Project.
The concept of an ecological civilization has been embraced by the Parliament in 1993 in a consensus statement entitled “Declaration on Climate” that concluded with these words: “The future we embrace will be a new ecological civilization and a world of peace, justice and sustainability, with the flourishing of the diversity of life. We will build this future as one human family within the greater Earth community.”
You are all encouraged to sign onto this declaration. Find the link to do so in the last endnote.
Role of Faith Based Traditions
Faith based groups and organizations have the antidote to the apathy so prevalent in the world today; an apathy for which Science has not found a remedy. All peoples of faith are united by deep values that seek the flourishing of creation, a concern for climate change and its planetary impact and a desire for a viable future for next generations. What is needed is a deep love for creation and a willingness to learn from Earth. An eco-spirituality of inclusion and compassion gives purpose and meaning to any actions taken on behalf of the planet. Faith communities are poised to build bridges between faith and science through ritual, education, the arts and advocacy that deepens the understanding that Earth (Universe) and climate are a common good which we all need to love and protect.
Leading by example multi-faith relationships must actively be fostered to ensure collaborative strategies towards net 0- CO2 levels such as: continually raising climate change concerns, calling for political action; demanding sustainable consumption, funding green projects, supporting alternate energy initiatives, eating less meat and limiting food waste. A very important strategy is to develop Investment portfolios for the green energy sector.
Take home message: We need to make sacrifices for the planet. We must melt the ice in our hearts before it is too late. We can take heart in an Ecological Civilization knowing that there is an energy of spiritual ecology emerging in the world. The spirit within the Parliament of World Religions clearly tells us that God is raising up a multitude of people to care for our home, Earth and the cosmos. For further reference here are some useful links:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Women in Renewable Energy—Green Hope Foundation
Parliament of World Religions: Declaration on Climate Change
