Seeking Inspiration at COP29

This Climate Emergency Forum video features an insightful conversation between Paul Beckwith and Yonatan Neril at COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

This video was recorded on November 13th, 2024, and published on November 20th, 2024, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.

Yonatan, an interfaith environmental advocate, NGO director, and rabbi, discusses his work as the founder of the Interface Center for Sustainable Development and his role in organizing the Faith Pavilion at UN Climate Conferences. The dialogue explores the intersection of faith, ecology, and climate action, emphasizing the importance of bridging artificial human-constructed borders to address the global climate crisis.

Yonatan shares his perspective on the spiritual aspects of the ecological crisis, arguing that it’s fundamentally about human consciousness rather than just carbon emissions. He outlines the Faith Pavilion’s activities at COP 29, including organizing events that bring together Indigenous figures and faith leaders to call for ambitious climate action. The conversation also touches on the challenges of climate anxiety, particularly among young people, and how religious teachings can provide hope and motivation for positive change.

The discussion concludes with reflections on the effectiveness of COP meetings and the criticism often faced by attendees regarding their carbon footprint. Yonatan emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and agency in addressing climate change, using a poignant story to illustrate that the future of our planet is in our hands. Both speakers stress the significance of human connection and face-to-face interactions in driving meaningful action on climate issues.

Links:

• Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development

Guest:

• Yonatan Neril - is an interfaith environmental advocate, NGO director, and rabbi who has dedicated his career to addressing the intersection of faith and ecology. As the founder and current director of the Interface Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD), a non-profit organization based in Jerusalem, he speaks internationally on religion and ecology at prestigious forums such as Davos and UN climate conferences.

Regular Panelists:

• Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University

Video Production:

• Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader

• Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.

Acknowledgement:

We’d like to acknowledge The International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) who helped us to attend COP29.

Attributions:

Background Music:

• Title: Through the City II
• Author: Crowander
• Source: crowander.com

Image and Video:

• Image and Video Attributions