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Discussion explored how rights-based and transitional justice approaches, along with faith-based and ethical perspectives, can address challenges as complex as historically-rooted justice conflict, natural resource management, as well as ecological, humanitarian and spiritual crises provoked by climate change.
The challenges of climate change have reached the level where we cannot brand ourselves as different religions, and faith communities need to work together, said Rev. Henrik Grape, coordinator of the WCC Working Group on Climate Change. “We, people of faith, have something important to contribute. Climate change is more than politics, technical solutions or a question of environment. It is about a moral duty to act and about our understanding of what it means to be a human on this earth.”
We need the innovations and political decisions, but we also need a vision and long-term aspirations, said Grape. Faith should play a central part to bring the people of the earth together for a common vision that will last and help to bring transformation that the earth so desperately needs.
Justice and equity are part of the spiritual vision the faith communities can bring. “And faith communities also can bring hope. Hope is something more than just prognosis. The origin of hope is transcendent – people of the faith are people of hope. And hope is the first step in the path of transformation”, said Grape.
Grape quoted St Augustine, saying that hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are. “Faith can be the carrier of hope and its beautiful daughters. Anger, on inequalities and on the greed that destroys the earth, and possibilities of future generations. And courage to start the transformation needed for a more just and equitable world”.
Lindsey Fielder Cook, climate change representative of Quaker United Nations office, reminded participants that the root cause of the anthropogenic climate change is human behaviour: “We are the problem, but we are also the solution. We cannot and should not think that this solely can be done through technical fixes. We need a transformation of the human behaviours which are the root causes”. When policies and regulations made by governments are rights-based, they are more supported by their citizens. “For this reason, holistic inclusion of human rights in the implementation of the Paris agreement is critical to reaching sufficient, fair, effective and therefore ambitious mitigation and adaptation to protect all species – including us”, said Fielder Cook.
The public discussion, formally titled “Trust and peacebuilding approaches for ambitious climate action” was a side-event at UN climate change conference COP22 in Marrakech, and it was organized by the World Council of Churches in cooperation with Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Quaker Earthcare Witness and the Quaker United Nations Office.
Live stream of the event (audio and presentations)
Documents shared by speakers (side-event Friday, 18 Nov. 11.30-13.00)
