Faith communities commit to ‘living the change’
News
Representatives from a dozen different faith communities gathered in Adelaide on October 7 to pledge their commitment to taking action on climate change.
The local event heralded the start of a week of activities throughout the world to celebrate a commitment to ‘Living the Change’. Participants at the launch discussed ways their communities can care for the Earth in line with their faith teachings that call for ‘generosity, compassion and responsible action’.
“People of faith feel urgently that our country needs to mount an ethical response to the threats posed to vulnerable communities across our country and our region by escalating climate impacts, whether we’re talking bushfires, cyclones, floods or droughts” said Philippa Rowland, president of Multifaith South Australia.
“Faith leaders in wealthy countries like Australia can make a major contribution by scaling down their own carbon footprints and encouraging others to do likewise.”
Living the Change draws attention to how small individual efforts can be made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in food, transport and energy habits, leading to an impact on a global scale.
Held at Minor Works Building in the CBD, attendees at the event included Catholics, Anglicans, Ahmadiyya Muslims, Bahai’s, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Sufis, Jews and representatives from the Uniting Church, Church of the Latter Day Saints and ecumenical groups.
Highlights of the day were a performance by the Dusty Feet Mob troupe from Port Augusta, reflections and commitments to ‘living the change’, and an interfaith blessing before a shared vegan meal.
The Adelaide event coincided with the release of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s summary report on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
For more information about the Living the Change movement, go to https://livingthechange.net
Jump to next article
Comments
Show comments Hide comments