Introduction by Archbishop Lord Rowan Williams
As religious leaders we offer our voice as a contribution to the gathered leaders and to humanity. Ours is a voice of hope and unity, grounded in a spiritual vision. We seek to give hope and meaning to faiths, groups and individuals struggling under the burden of climate anxiety, who seek to find their place and identify their responsibility at this time of crisis. We must also confront honestly the destructive habits which continue to limit the possibilities and the hopes of human beings, in a call for wake-up and self-examination. With the following ten principles we seek to initiate a process of climate repentance, broader understanding, and effective action. Our call is a call to action; and a call to return to a correct vision of the creation, the creator, and the harmonious relationship of humanity with creation.
- Creation is not our possession. It is God’s gift, entrusted to our care. We therefore acknowledge our responsibility to care for God’s creation.
- We are all part of a greater whole, interdependent with and dependent on the rest of nature. We therefore undertake to care for each other and for all life with which we share our planet.
- We recognize our responsibility not just towards all life today but towards the world’s children and children’s children. We therefore commit ourselves to trying to avoid behaving or condoning behaviours which will harm or destroy future generations.
- We acknowledge that self-centredness, greed and short-sightedness have led us into destructive habits. We therefore seek to develop the material, moral and spiritual disciplines which can help us mend our ways and overcome the challenges of climate change.
- We deeply regret the harm we have caused our fellow humans, animals and all of nature. We therefore determine to use our feelings of sorrow and remorse to motivate us to act courageously, creatively and urgently to help save and restore our world.
- Just as we have the capacity to hurt each other through our thoughts, words and deeds, so we have the capacity to heal. We therefore intend to use every appropriate opportunity to speak out and act to heal our wounded humanity and our damaged planet.
- Knowing that every deed counts and that nothing is too small to matter, we resolve to act in every sphere, individually, collectively, locally, nationally and internationally to protect and nurture all life.
- We recognise that all our abilities, spiritual, intellectual, scientific, economic, ecological, legal, educational, artistic and political are needed in this, humanity’s most urgent task. We therefore resolve to engage all our collective resources in the urgent task of saving our planet.
- We acknowledge that the impacts of global warming are experienced unjustly across the world. Poorer nations almost always suffer most from what richer nations have done, and often continue to do. We therefore resolve to pursue climate justice vigorously for the benefit of all humankind.
- We know that the greatest human qualities are love and compassion. We therefore determine to keep our hearts open to the suffering caused by climate change, so that love and compassion motivate us to do everything within our power for the sake of all life.
These principles were developed by the Elijah Interfaith Institute during COP 27 and adapted by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg. Read on Skirrid