The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) has called for co-operation between all faiths to provide an ethical and environmental framework that will inspire urgent action on climate change.
Over 80 percent of the world’s population profess a religious allegiance, and whilst not exclusive to faith groups, concern for others and the environment is key to many religions. In a newly published Policy Position Statement, CIWEM urges faith leaders to embrace and extol environmentalism, both for the sake of protecting nature and humankind and of furthering social justice.
“We need the world’s faith groups to collaborate for action on the environment, coming together to hold the world to account,” says CIWEM’s executive director, Nick Reeves. “What the faith groups can offer is a framework – ethical, spiritual, imaginative and intellectual – for the pursuit of sustainable and equitable lifestyles. Religious leaders are in a better position to make an impact on their congregations than politicians or celebrities, with a huge audience and legitimacy over the issue. The time is right for them to become more outspoken and influence political thought and actions, using their unique access to governments, opinion formers and institutions to lobby effectively on environmental concerns.”
CIWEM participated in Lambeth Palace’s Shrinking the Footprint Conference, chaired by The Bishop of London, on 11th June. This was the third anniversary of the Church of England’s environmental campaign, which was aimed at enabling the whole church to address – in faith, practice and mission – the issue of climate change. New toolkits and resources were unveiled to help 16,000 churches, cathedrals and buildings reduce their energy footprint.
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CIWEM believes that faith groups are useful partners for environmentalists wanting to disseminate their message and bring about pro-environmental behaviour change. The Institution is therefore committed to work with faith groups to assist in the widest possible provision of information on the environment and sustainability, which is underpinned by sound and impartial science, and in encouraging debate on the role that faith communities can play in delivering environmental goals. www.ciwem.org.