Inter-faith initiative Pushes to Mobilize Billions in fight against climate change

Thursday, 05 November 2009 00:00

A crucial event to reach out to the eighty-five per cent of humanity who follow a religion took place in London's Windsor Castle this week.

The Summit of Religious and Secular Leaders on Climate Change, which ended Wednesday, was co-hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

At the event organized by Prince Philip's Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), religious leaders from all the major faith traditions met in order to highlight the earth's fragility, and discuss initiatives to protect it against the ravages of climate change.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Mr. Ban stressed that, "without full support and cooperation of religious leaders it will be very difficult to obtain... a binding agreement in Copenhagen".

World leaders will have a window of opportunity to seal a climate deal in Copenhagen this December, and "negotiations should be firmly supported by global citizens and particularly when it comes to religious leaders since there are so many followers", the UN Secretary General added.

According to the ARC, faith-based groups own nearly eight percent of habitable land on Earth, operate dozens of media groups and more than half the world's schools, and control seven percent of financial investments worth trillions.

The various points of agreement on environmental ethics among the different religions illustrate the potential for the world's faithful to spur positive environmental practices.

Read the Secretary-General's statement to the summit.

Read more about the ARC