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.interfaithclimatestatement2016.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 Australia Hindu Imam Shady Alsulaiman, President, Australian Imams Council Australia Muslim Rev. Dr. Lyn Arnold Chair of the Public Affairs Commission of the Australia Christian Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Synod Rev. Dr. Vicky Balabanski, Director of the Forum on Religion and Australia/ Interfaith Ecology (FORE) Pacific Rabbi Jonathan Keren­Black, Environmental Advisor to the Council of Australia/NZ/A Jewish Progressive Rabbis of Australia, New Zealand and Asia sia Abbot Ajahn Brahm, Spiritual Director, Buddhist Society of Western Australia Buddhist Australia and Abbot of Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery Bishop George Browning, Inaugural Convener the Anglican Australia Christian Communion Environment Network Sr. Elizabeth Delaney sgs, General Secretary National Council of Australia Christian Churches in Australia Rev.Jokyo George Gatenby, Chair, Buddhist Council of South Australia Australia Buddhist Bishop John Henderson, Bishop of the Church, Lutheran Church of Australia Christian Australia Imam Yahya Ibrahim, University of Western Australia Australia Muslim Dr. Manzoor Khan, President, Ahmiyadiyya Muslim Association Australia Muslim Sr. Berneice Loch rsm, President of Catholic Religious Australia & Australia Christian Leader of the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG) Fr. Philip Marshall, Vicar­General Catholic Diocese of Adelaide Australia Christian Stuart McMillan, President, Uniting Church in Australia Assembly Australia Christian Rob McPherson, Vice­President Australian & New Zealand Unitarian Australia Christian Universalist Association Dr. Jake Mitra, President, Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils Australia Buddhist Thea Ormerod, President, Australian Religious Response to Climate Australia Interfaith Change Damian Outtrim, President, Multifaith Association of South Australia Australia Interfaith Jacqueline Remond, National Director, Catholic Earthcare Australia Christian Bishop Suriel, Coptic Orthodox Church Diocese of Melbourne and Australia Christian Affiliated Regions Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna and President of Austria Christian the Austrian Bishops Conference, Member of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders 1 Mujib Huq, Executive Chairman, Centre for South Asia Studies Review Bangladesh Muslim (CSASR) Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric, President of the Council of Ulema, Member Bosnia Muslim of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders Rafael Soares de Oliveira, Diretor Executivo, Koinonia, Presença Brazil Christian Ecumênica e Serviço, ACT Aliança Rt Rev. Christopher Hill, President, Conference of European Churches Belgium/ UK Christian Fr. José Ignacio Garcia, SJ Coordinator, Jesuit European Social Centre Belgium Christian (JESC) Fr. Heikki Huttunen, General Secretary, Conference of European Belgium/ Christian/ Churches Finland Orthodox Dr Aadmou Njoya, Minister Plenipotentiary and President of the Cameroon Muslim Cameroon Democratic Union (CDU), Member of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders Imam Navid Aziz, Islamic Information Society of Calgary Canada Muslim Pema Chodron, Teacher, Gampo Abbey Nova Scotia, Shamballah Canada Buddhist Acharya Martin Janowitz, Shambhala International Canada Buddhist National Bishop Susan Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Canada Christian Bishop Mark MacDonald, Bishop for Indigenous Peoples, Anglican Canada Indigeno Church of Canada us Anglican Very Rev. Dr. Bill Phipps, United Church of Canada Canada Christian Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez, Archbishop of Bogota, President