“The role of religion and spirituality (in environmental activism) is to hold up the values that go beyond the value of profit and the value of somebody winning and somebody losing, to say…there are things that are more important than money or gain. The value of generosity, the value of putting the good of the community and the good of the whole before your own personal gain — those are things that every religion at its core has always stood for."
The Great Turning website shares the Work That Reconnects Network (WTR) of Joanna Macy and other change agents . Drawing from deep ecology, systems theory and spiritual traditions, the Work That Reconnects builds motivation, creativity, courage and solidarity for the transition to a sustainable human culture."The most remarkable feature of this historical moment on Earth is not that we are on the way to destroying the world — we've actually been on the way for quite a while. It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millennia-long sleep, to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves and each other." More recently Joanna Macy has been discussing the bardo—the Tibetan Buddhist concept of a gap between worlds where transition is possible., seeing the times we find ourselves in as an opportunity to make necessary change.
Pope Francis on the Care for Our Common Home"The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change." No matter what your religious/spiritual bent (or lack thereof), this beautiful document speaks directly into the heart of every single person alive, regardless of any religious affiliation.
Pope Francis addressed the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 at United Nations headquarters. The address in English.
Evangelical Climate Initiative. The Evangelical Climate Initiative (ECI) is a group of over 300 senior evangelical leaders in the United States who are convinced it is time for our country to help solve the problem of global warming.
Note: The ECI has since disbanded. Read this article to learn about the rise and fall of the initiative.
Baha’i. The Baha’i have been working on climate change issues internationally for a long time. They assert that "the principle of the oneness of humankind must become the ruling principle of international life. This principle does not seek to undermine national autonomy or suppress cultural or intellectual diversity. Rather, it makes it possible to view the climate change challenge through a new lens - one that perceives humanity as a unified whole, not unlike the cells of the human body, infinitely differentiated in form and function yet united in a common purpose which exceeds that of its component parts."
Buddhist. In their 2015 declaration 'The Time is Now' declares that "Individually we must adopt behaviors that increase everyday ecological awareness and reduce our “carbon footprint”.
Green Deen is a proactive effort of young Muslim activists from Southern California who have come together for the sake of Allah (swt) to raise awareness and change the current environmental conditions by promoting a healthier, greener and more environmentally conscious lifestyle.
Hindu Declaration on Climate Change. In the 2009 statement, the authors accept that “centuries of rapacious exploitation of the planet have caught up with us” and state clearly that a radical change in our relationship to the planet is necessary for survival. The declaration also recognizes that “it may be too late to avert drastic climate change” and encourages compassionate responses to “such calamitous challenges as population displacement, food and water shortage, catastrophic weather, and rampant disease.”
The Indigenous Elders and Medicine Peoples Council sent the following message to the United Nations and World Leaders ahead of the September 23rd , 2014 United Nations Climate Summit, “The people of the world cannot continue to ignore Aboriginal Indigenous Peoples, the Natural System of Life, the Natural Law and our connection with All Life. We strongly urge all leaders to work and consult with us, the spiritual people of the Earth, to solve the world’s problems, without war. We extend to you an open invitation and extend our hand to you, so that together we can begin to shift from the path of self-destruction to the path of peace, harmony and balance with All Creation.” The Council urged the people of the world to “restore the Sacredness within ourselves, within our families, within our communities and within our Nations. We must respect, follow and uphold the Creator’s Natural Law as a foundation for all decision-making, from this point forward” and “work in unity to help Mother Earth heal so that she can bring back balance and harmony for all her children.”
Jewish Climate Change Challenge was launched in 2009 by Hazon and other partners as a call to action to mobilize the wisdom of Judaism and the resources of the Jewish community to meet the challenges of climate change.
Mainline Protestants: Many protestant denominations have made serious commitments to combating climate change, The United Church of Christ leads the way. It issued a resolution in 2007 admitting “Christian complicity in the damage human beings have caused to the earth’s climate system,” and in 2013, it became the first U.S. denomination to divest from fossil fuels. Episcopalians, Anglicans, and Presbyterians have all addressed the global challenges of climate change. In 2008, prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Church challenged the denomination’s official stance by declaring that “humans must be proactive and take responsibility for our contributions to climate change—big and small."
A Pagan Community Statement on the Environment acknowledges that "that Earth’s biosphere may be understood as a single ecosystem and that all life on Earth is interconnected," further stating "There are certain actions we can take now. It is important for each individual, community, and nation to take stock of what that means for the betterment of the whole."
Quakers issued a 2015 statement "Facing the Challenge of Climate Change"in which they state "We recognize that catastrophic global climate change is not inevitable if we choose to act urgently."
Sikh issued the Sikh Statement on Climate Change in 2014, in which there is this quote: "You, Yourself created the Universe, and You are pleased…You, Yourself the bumblebee, flower, fruit and the tree. You, Yourself the water, desert, ocean and the pond. You, Yourself are the big fish, tortoise and the Cause of causes."— Guru Granth Sahib, Maru Sohele, 1020
Unitarian Universalist declare in their 2006 Statement of Conscience: "As a people of faith, we commit to a renewed reverence for life and respect for the interdependent web of all existence."
Union of Concerned Scientist share their evidence for the now an overwhelming scientific consensus that global warming is indeed happening and humans are contributing to it with links to documents and statements attesting to that consensus.