Interfaith Climate Change Statement to World Leaders
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INTERFAITH CLIMATE CHANGE STATEMENT TO WORLD LEADERS APRIL 18, 2016 Statement by Religious and Spiritual Leaders on the Occasion of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Signature Ceremony for the Paris Climate Change Agreement. www.interfaithstatement2016.org #Faiths4ParisAgreement !1 INTERFAITH CLIMATE CHANGE STATEMENT TO WORLD LEADERS 18th April 2016 Ahead of the Paris Agreement Signing Ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters on 22nd April 2016, as religious and spiritual leaders, we stand together to urge all Heads of State to promptly sign and ratify the Paris Agreement. Caring for the Earth is our shared responsibility. Each one of us has a “moral responsibility to act,” as so powerfully stated by the Pope’s Encyclical and in the climate change statements by Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and other faith leaders [1]. The planet has already passed safe levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Unless these levels are rapidly reduced, we risk creating irreversible impacts putting hundreds of millions of lives, of all species, at severe risk. The challenges ahead require honesty and courage and we all must take action to reduce emissions. Humanity is at a crucial turning point. We as faith communities recognize that we must begin a transition away from polluting fossil fuels and towards clean renewable energy sources. It is clear that for many people significant lifestyle changes will have to be made. We must strive for alternatives to the culture of consumerism that is so destructive to ourselves and to our planet. The unprecedented consensus resulting in the adoption of the Paris Agreement, welcomed by faith communities the world over, has opened up a new path towards a low-carbon, climate resilient transformation of the global economy. The global collaboration by all nations is proof that our shared values are far greater than any differences that divide us. It demonstrates that the sense of collective responsibility shared by all nations and society is far more powerful than the recklessness and greed of the few. We are united in our support for the full and ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement and of all other decisions adopted at COP 21. To achieve the 1.5C goal, governments must accelerate climate action before 2020 and also greatly increase the level of ambition of the future Nationally- INTERFAITHDetermined Contributions (NDCs), CLIMATE rapidly converting them CHANGE into national policies, law and programmes. These commitments must be defined by increasing ambition outlined in national road-maps on how to transform our societies and economies by 2050 and clearly integrated into STATEMENTnational development plans. 2016 We recognise the importance of peaking of global emissions by 2020, rapid phasing out of all fossil fuel subsidies and a transition to 100 per cent renewable energies by 2050. Finally, we note that more progress on the scaling up of finance, particularly for adaptation and loss and damage, is required so as to help vulnerable countries better prepare for climate impacts and to help us all in our transformationAPRIL 18, to a 2016 safe, zero carbon future. Statement by Religious and Spiritual Leaders on the occasion Climate change presents our global family with the opportunity to embark on a path of spiritual of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Signature Ceremony renewal defined by deeper awareness and greater ecological action. Every act to protect and care for the Paris Climate Change Agreement. for all beings connects us to one another, deepening the spiritual dimension of our lives. We must reflect on the true nature of our interrelationshipwww.interfaithclimatestatement2016.org to the Earth. It is not a resource for us to exploit at our will. It is a sacred inheritance and a precious home which we must protect. United with the !2 shared hope that arises from faith, we the undersigned believe that the means, desire, and will to care for Earth and all life can and will become action as our political leaders ratify the promises made in Paris - and thus safeguard the greater promises of this generation and of all those to come. We therefore: • Urge governments to rapidly sign, ratify and implement the Paris Agreement, and to increase pledges to reduce emissions in line with keeping the global temperature rise to 1.5C above pre- industrial levels; • Insist on rapid emissions reduction and peaking by 2020, in order to keep the 1.5C limit within reach; • Strongly advocate the greater flows of finance, especially for adaptation and loss and damage; • Urge the swift phase out of all fossil fuel subsidies and transition from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy by 2050; • Encourage faith communities to reduce emissions in their homes, workplaces and centres of worship and to support and stand in solidarity with communities already impacted by climate change; • Call for fossil fuel divestment and reinvestment in renewables and low carbon solutions, including within our own communities, and/or by engaging companies on climate change. Signatories The Statement was signed by 270 high level faith leaders, 176 different groups and more than 4000 individuals. The names of the signing faith leaders are in the following pages. About Us The drafting and dissemination of the Interfaith Climate Change Statement to World Leaders and the related event on April 18th 2016, have been facilitated by GreenFaith in joint collaboration with representatives from 15 organisations: ACT Alliance, Bhumi Project, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Catholic Earthcare Australia, Eco-Sikh, Elijah Interfaith Institute, Global Buddhist Climate Change Collective, Global Catholic Climate Movement, GreenFaith, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Lutheran World Federation, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhists, United Religions Initiative and World Council of Churches. !3 Signee Country Faith Prof. Nihal S Agar AM, President, Hindu Council of Australia Hindu Australia Imam Shady Alsulaiman, President, Australian Imams Australia Muslim Council Rev. Dr. Lyn Arnold Chair of the Public Affairs Australia Christian Commission of the Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Synod Rev. Dr. Vicky Balabanski, Director of the Forum on Australia/ Pacific Interfaith Religion and Ecology (FORE) Rabbi Jonathan KerenBlack, Environmental Advisor to Australia/NZ/Asia Jewish the Council of Progressive Rabbis of Australia, New Zealand and Asia Abbot Ajahn Brahm, Spiritual Director, Buddhist Australia Buddhist Society of Western Australia and Abbot of Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery Bishop George Browning, Inaugural Convener the Australia Christian Anglican Communion Environment Network Sr. Elizabeth Delaney sgs, General Secretary National Australia Christian Council of Churches in Australia Rev.Jokyo George Gatenby, Chair, Buddhist Council of Australia Buddhist South Australia Bishop John Henderson, Bishop of the Church, Australia Christian Lutheran Church of Australia Imam Yahya Ibrahim, University of Western Australia Australia Muslim Dr. Manzoor Khan, President, Ahmiyadiyya Muslim Australia Muslim Association Sr. Berneice Loch rsm, President of Catholic Religious Australia Christian Australia & Leader of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG) Fr. Philip Marshall, VicarGeneral Catholic Diocese of Australia Christian Adelaide Stuart McMillan, President, Uniting Church in Australia Australia Christian Assembly Rob McPherson, VicePresident Australian & New Australia Christian Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association Dr. Jake Mitra, President, Federation of Australian Australia Buddhist Buddhist Councils Thea Ormerod, President, Australian Religious Australia Interfaith Response to Climate Change Damian Outtrim, President, Multifaith Association of Australia Interfaith South Australia Jacqueline Remond, National Director, Catholic Australia Christian Earthcare Bishop Suriel, Coptic Orthodox Church Diocese of Australia Christian Melbourne and Affiliated Regions Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna Austria Christian and President of the Austrian Bishops Conference, Member of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders Mujib Huq, Executive Chairman, Centre for South Asia Bangladesh Muslim Studies Review (CSASR) Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric, President of the Council of Bosnia Muslim Ulema, Member of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders Rafael Soares de Oliveira, Diretor Executivo, Koinonia, Brazil Christian Presença Ecumênica e Serviço, ACT Aliança Rt Rev. Christopher Hill, President, Conference of Belgium/ UK Christian European Churches Fr. José Ignacio Garcia, SJ Coordinator, Jesuit Belgium Christian European Social Centre (JESC) Fr. Heikki Huttunen, General Secretary, Conference of Belgium/ Finland Christian/Orthodox European Churches Dr Aadmou Njoya, Minister Plenipotentiary and Cameroon Muslim President of the Cameroon Democratic Union (CDU), Member of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders Imam Navid Aziz, Islamic Information Society of Canada Muslim Calgary Pema Chodron, Teacher, Gampo Abbey Nova Scotia, Canada Buddhist Shambhala Acharya Martin Janowitz, Shambhala International Canada Buddhist National Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Canada Christian Lutheran Church Rt. Rev. Jordan Cantwell, Moderator, UNited Canada Christian Church of Canada Bishop Mark MacDonald, Bishop for Indigenous Canada Indigenous Anglican Peoples, Anglican Church of Canada Very Rev. Dr. Bill Phipps, United Church of Canada Canada