Presentation for the Bahá'ís of Irving and Dallas Interfaith Power and Light. Addresses common themes from various religious responses to climate change; call to action; prevention; awareness and advocacy; and individual action to show support for international action. About the presenter: Stephen Fuqua is Co-Chair of Dallas IPL and a GreenFaith Fellow.

1. Faithful Call to
#ActOnClimate Change
Stephen A. Fuqua
www.greenbahai.com
June 2015

2. The Scientific Consensus
http://climate.nasa.gov/

3. Faiths for Earth Campaign
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_3EuybS9Mk

4. Overview
• Highlight key themes in religious responses to climate
change:
– Love of Creation
– Urgency
– Love and Compassion
– Justice
– Oneness and Interdependence
• Call to Action – statements and declarations
• Prevention
• International Action
• Awareness and Advocacy
• Taking Action

5. Love of Creation

6. This sister [Mother Earth] now cries out to us because of the harm
we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the
goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see
ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will.
The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also
reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the
water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth
herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and
maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We
have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen
2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her
air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.
¶2, Laudato Si, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-
si.html
Pope Francis

7. Mountaintop Removal
© Kate Wellington, 2010, some rights reserved (CC-BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharedferret/

8. Patriarch Bartholomew
For human beings… to destroy the biological diversity
of God’s creation; for human beings to degrade the
integrity of the earth by causing changes in its climate,
by stripping the earth of its natural forests or
destroying its wetlands; for human beings to
contaminate the earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its
life – these are sins.
Quoted in http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

9. Urgency

10. Bahá’u’lláh
Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the
age ye live in, and center your deliberations
on its exigencies and requirements.
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p213

11. Drought… and war
The “Fertile
Crescent” during
the 2007-2008
drought. The
deepest brown
represents 100%
loss of vegetation
NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided by the United State Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service
and processed by Jennifer Small and Assaf Anyamba, NASA GIMMS Group at Goddard Space Flight Center.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=8797&src=ve

12. … and war
“A severe drought,
worsened by a warming
climate, drove Syrian
farmers to abandon
their crops and flock to
cities, helping trigger a
civil war that has killed
hundreds of thousands
of people, according to
a new study published
Monday.”
National Geographic
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/03/150302-syria-war-climate-change-drought/

13. A Buddhist Declaration on
Climate Change
Today we live in a time of great crisis, confronted by
the gravest challenge that humanity has ever faced: the
ecological consequences of our own collective karma.
The scientific consensus is overwhelming: human
activity is triggering environmental breakdown on a
planetary scale.
http://www.ecobuddhism.org/bcp/all_content/buddhist_declaration/

14. Love & Compassion

15. Jesus Christ
Book of Mark 12, 12:29-31. New International Version.
The most important [law] ... Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than
these.

16. Typhoon Haiyan
© Mans Unides, 2013, some rights reserved (BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/mansunides/.

17. Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Lama Zopa Rinpoche, https://twitter.com/lamazopa/status/504457434224926720
Live with compassion,
die with compassion,
when problems come,
experience them with compassion.

18. Compassion
© Allan Hopkins, 2014, some rights reserved (BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/hoppy1951.

19. Justice

20. Prophet Muhammad
Surah an-Nisa` 4:19, The Message of the Qur’an, trans: Muhammad Assad
O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever
steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness
to the truth for the sake of God, even though
it be against your own selves or your parents
and kinsfolk. … Do not, then, follow your own
desires, lest you swerve from justice…

21. Justice
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/06/climate-change-female-farmers-botswana-
150611091026193.html

22. Pope Francis
Its worst impact will probably be felt by developing countries in
coming decades. Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected
by phenomena related to warming, and their means of subsistence
are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services
such as agriculture, fishing and forestry. They have no other financial
activities or resources which can enable them to adapt to climate
change or to face natural disasters, and their access to social services
and protection is very limited.
¶25, Laudato Si, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-
si.html

23. Stewardship

24. Stewardship
Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana, 2.2.41
Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all
creatures, directions, trees and plants, rivers
and seas – they all are organs of God's body.
Remembering this, a devotee respects all
species.

25. Stewardship
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Women_planting_trees,_Umaria_district,_MP,_India.jpg

26. A Rabbinic Letter
The texts of Torah that perhaps most directly address our present
crisis are Leviticus 25-26 and Deuteronomy 15. They call for one year
of every seven to be Shabbat Shabbaton - a Sabbatical Year - and
Shmittah - a Year of restful Release for the Earth and its workers
from being made to work, and of Release for debtors from their
debts.
In Leviticus 26, the Torah warns us that if we refuse to let the Earth
rest, it will "rest" anyway, despite us and upon us - through drought
and famine and exile that turn an entire people into refugees.

27. Oneness & Interdependence

28. Bahá’í International Community
http://www.bahai.org/documents/bic/seizing-opportunity
… we 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.

29. People’s Climate March
© South Bend Voice, 2014, Some rights reserved (BY-SA). https://www.flickr.com/photos/126015850@N02/

30. Dalai Lama

31. Call to Action

32. … we call upon our leaders,
those of our faiths, and all
people of Earth to accept
the reality of the common
danger we face, the
imperative and
responsibility for immediate
and decisive action, and the
opportunity to change.

33. Links to Faith Statements
• Bahá'í International Community - Seizing the
Opportunity
• Roman Catholic Church – Laudato Si
• A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change
• Hindu Declaration on Climate Change
• A Rabbinic Letter on the Climate Crisis
• A Southern Baptist Declaration on the
Environment and Climate Change
• More

34. Prevention

35. Places of Worship
The Cool Congregations
Challenge is an annual
national contest to
recognize “Cool
Congregations” that are
becoming energy efficient
and sustainable role
models within their
communities.
GreenFaith Certification
Program
A 2 year environmental
leadership program for houses
of worship. GreenFaith
provides you with extensive
resources, one-on-one
coaching, support and
networking opportunities to
help you do holistic &
successful environmental
programming.
This workbook is intended
to serve as a resource and
planning guide for clergy,
staff, and laypersons of
houses of worship who
want to increase the
energy efficiency of their
facilities by implementing
realistic and cost-effective
energy improvement
projects.

36. Divestment
“Energy represents a foundation for
civilization; there is no arguing this. But
fossil fuels and the fossil fuel industry’s
obstruction of a response to the climate
crisis represent a grave danger to life.
What must faith communities do?
They must divest and reinvest now.”
A Statement from Theologians, Ethicists and Religious Leaders in support of
fossil fuel divestment and clean energy reinvestment by faith communities

37. Education
The course is based on the scientific findings of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC)... The course includes the
teachings and wisdom of many religions. While
the course is intended for an interfaith group,
scriptures were selected for their relevance in
the context of climate change.
A religious education resource looking at stewardship and
care of the Earth, development issues and Trócaire's
work. Several activities and case studies to foster
understanding of the impact of climate change. This
resource is suitable for students aged 12 years and over.

38. Change in Culture
“The deepening environmental crisis, driven by a system that condones
the pillage of natural resources to satisfy an insatiable thirst for more,
suggests how entirely inadequate is the present conception of humanity’s
relationship with nature.”
The Universal House of Justice, 2013

39. International Action

40. COP 21
“In 2015 COP21, also known as the 2015 Paris
Climate Conference, will, for the first time in
over 20 years of UN negotiations, aim to
achieve a legally binding and universal
agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping
global warming below 2°C.”
http://www.cop21paris.org/about/cop21

41. Green Climate Fund
“The GCF was conceived to help poor and
vulnerable countries adapt to the unavoidable
impacts of climate change like changing weather
patterns, sea level rise, and extreme weather events
and build more resilient societies.”
Susan Stephenson, Interfaith Power & Light
The United States intends to contribute $3
billion to this initial fund raising effort, not to
exceed 30 percent of total confirmed pledges.
http://news.gcfund.org

42. Beyond Paris
• No concrete scientific basis for 2°.
• IPCC data – near the cutoff point for action.
• Already problems at 1°.
• Significant island flooding projected at 2°.

43. Awareness and Advocacy

44. Est 10,000 from
faith community

46. “The People's Pilgrimage is an open
source response from the human
heart to the climate crisis. It's a way
for everyone – of all faiths and none
– to share our hopes and fears, and
call for action on climate this year.
It's not owned by any one
organisation it's been inspired and
started by people around the world,
of diverse faiths, doing everything
they can to lift up the local and
human stories of climate change.”

47. Social Media

48. Taking Action

49. Reach Out to Government
Congress: Support Green Climate
Fund!
From the low-lying Maldives to
famine-stricken East Africa, the
world’s poor are bearing the
brunt of climate impacts. As
Americans, and as people of faith,
we are obliged to advocate for
those whose lives and livelihoods
are threatened, and who cannot
advocate for themselves.
http://goo.gl/tbvA5x (IPL)
A Faithful Call to Address Climate
Change
Around the world, faith communities
and people of faith are coming
together to call on political leaders to
address climate change issues. Join
their voice as we call on our political
leaders in the United States to take a
lead role in helping to craft a moral
global framework for the UN climate
negotiations that will culminate in
Paris 2015.
http://www.faithclimatepetition.org/

50. Thank Pope Francis
Sign a Letter in Support of Pope Francis and the
Encyclical on Ecology!
Our friends at the Catholic Climate Covenant are headed
to Rome and will deliver letters of support to Pope
Francis for his recent encyclical on ecology. The Texas
Interfaith Center and the National Religious Partnership
for the Environment invite you to voice your support for
the Pope by signing this letter. The deadline for
signatures is June 30, 2015.
http://texasinterfaithcenter.org/content/sign-letter-
support-pope-francis-and-encyclical-ecology

51. What is the Paris Pledge?
The Pledge is a bold 2-step commitment toward
sustainability and carbon reduction:
1. By 2030, [you or your congregation] commits
to reduce its carbon pollution by 50%.
2. [Your or your congregation] will set a goal of
being carbon neutral by 2050.
http://www.parispledge.org

52. Closing

53. A Poem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJuRjy9k7GA
This poem, which was read at the Opening
Ceremony of the recent UN Climate Summit, has
nothing to do with religion. Its grand expression of
overcoming fear and despair with hope and a
righteous resolve should inspire all those who call
themselves “world citizens”. The poet is Kathy
Jetnil-Kijiner, who hails from the Marshall Islands.

54. This photo taken at the “Bahá’í Gardens” on the slopes of Mt. Carmel,
Haifa, Israel, shows a marvelous diversity of water and temperature
appropriate plants. S. Fuqua / T. Homayoun, November 2010.