Bringing Religion to Bear on the Climate Emergency

Join a collaboration of The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, The Peace Department, and Climate Emergency Forum in this COP27 press conference called ‘Bringing Religion to Bear on the Climate Emergency.’ Each of the panelists will frame the climate crisis from their faith perspective.

This program was organized by the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD). To support and inspire ambitious action at COP27 at Sharm El-Sheikh, religious figures and scientists called for a reexamination of deep-seated attitudes and for identifying ways to transform these attitudes for the wellbeing of Earth, our common home. Religious communities are sleeping giants in regards to climate action. It is essential to unleash the power of clergy and faith communities as change agents for climate action. This video was recorded on November 16th, 2022, and published on February 5th, 2022.

Some of the topics brought up:

The attempt to reveal the connection between religion and ecology and have religion step up and take its appropriate place in the battle that we all face.
How Theravada Buddhism is rooted directly and integrally to nature.
Some of the precepts of Buddhism.
How recent scientific papers for the first time are talking about the possibility of humans not being on this planet long term and the resulting pressure on the human mind and humans to try to come to terms with this.
How faith can help some scientists to keep a stable mind and stable situation in order to do their work and how many scientists are saying their research has become an exercise in documenting the rapid decline of humanity.
How we produce enough food to feed 11 billion people and although we’ve just crossed the 8 billion person mark, we still have over a billion people who are hungry.
How the root-spiritual solutions are long-term thinking, humility, caring for other people and creatures, and finding our source of pleasure in spirituality, family and community.
An Ecuadorian-amazon perspective on the climate crisis and how an aboriginal community is fighting to protect their territory.
And much more . . .

Panelists:

David Miron Wapner - Chair of the board of The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development. Today he is responsible for Sustainable Technology Projects at the Yoyah Group, a company dedicated to effective strategic planning in times of uncertainty.
Rabbi Yonatan Neril - Director and founder of The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development and its Jewish Eco Seminars branch. He speaks internationally on faith and ecology. His Excellency Metropolitan Serafim Kykotis - Vice-president of the Pan African Council of Churches.
James Sternlicht - Founder and CEO of The Peace Department. He seeks to drive a vision forward with a team of like-minded individuals dedicated to optimizing the effectiveness of efforts towards a bright and omniconsiderate future.
Gloria Ushigua - Director of the Association of Sapara Women in Ecuador.
Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University
Regina Valdez - Program Director, Climate Reality Project, NYC. GreenFaith Fellow and LEED Green Associate

Video Production:

Charles Gregoire - Climate Reality Leader, Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum
Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP27 Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.