CWS CEO Rev. McCullough with Rev. Lusama of Tuvalu Red Cross Photo: Lesley Crosson / CWS
NEW YORK— Against the backdrop of a world increasingly focused on borders—and how to secure them against “outsiders” – the message from yesterday’s gathering of faith-based climate change activists at the United Nations highlighted the interconnectedness of all humanity.
It is not just indigenous people who are vulnerable, but all the people of the world, Beatriz Schulthess, co-president of Religions for Peace, told participants at a panel discussion held as part of the Interfaith Summit on Climate Change. The Sept. 21-22 summit was organized by the World Council of Churches and Religions for Peace.
“If I throw a stone in the water I will see the effects for a while, but animals in the ocean can see and feel other effects that even I can’t see,” said Schulthess. The challenge, she pointed out, is for all the peoples of the world to recognize their connection to each other and to nature, and to develop sustainability by “learning to live in harmony with all that is around us.”
In remarks ahead of the panel discussion, the Rev. John L. McCullough, president and CEO of Church World Service, underscored the urgency of the issue and the need to be connected with others in efforts to address global warming.
“CWS promotes just and ecologically sustainable development in vulnerable communities. We work with partners around the world to address issues that contribute to poverty and to help communities increase their resilience in the face of challenges posed by the man-made problem of climate change.”
Raising the voice of the faith community in a united fashion — as in the participation Sunday by CWS and some 400,000 people from all walks of life at an historic climate march — is an expression of frustration with the slow pace of progress and an attempt to give a voice to those who are often ignored.
“Faith leaders consider it part of their mission to speak out and to call for justice and equity. They want their voices to be heard, they want the voices of the poor to be heard and they want a global climate treaty to be signed,” said interfaith summit participant Jasmine Huggins, senior policy and advocacy officer at CWS.
The Rev. Tafue Lusama, a panelist, whose low-lying Pacific Island nation, Tuvalu, already is suffering the ill effects of climate change, described the “romantic relationship” indigenous people have with the earth and the sea, from which they derive nourishment. “Something has gone wrong with that intimate relationship,” Lusama said, when people can no longer live off the fruits of the earth and sea.
Tuvalu, a small island nation near Fiji, already is experiencing soil erosion caused by salt water from an ocean whose level is rising because of global warming. The country’s plight is graphic illustration of the challenges faced by nations with little responsibility for the carbon emissions that lead to climate change and few resources to deal with the effects.
The interfaith summit is part of a Sept. 23 climate change summit called by UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon to galvanize world leaders gathered in New York for this week’s UN General Assembly session around action on climate change.
An agreement among countries expected to attend the secretary general’s summit probably will not result from this week’s meeting. However, world leaders will meet again in Paris in 2015 for another round of talks aimed at forging a legally binding and universal agreement on climate.
CWS’ McCullough also said that he is encouraged by the attention being paid to climate change by the Obama administration, though much remains to be done.
“There is movement forward and I believe there is an understanding of the urgency of this matter. We need to build on that so the U.S. takes a stronger global leadership role. This is not an issue for just one country. We all are citizens of the same Earth and this is an issue for the entire world.
“CWS will continue to be a strong advocate for a just climate policy that addresses the issue and provides adequate resources to help developing countries being devastated by climate change.”
Read the Religions for Peace call for action on climate change.