Dialogue on Climate Change

On October 24th, Dr. Lois Mitchell (CABC – Public Witness and Social Concern; CBM – Justice Initiatives Coordinator) was in Ottawa to participate in an Interfaith Forum on Faith and Climate. This one day event, organized by the Canadian Council of Churches, brought Canadian faith leaders together to address the question, “What does Climate Justice Mean?”

Panel discussions addressed three aspects:

• Faith Perspectives on Climate
• Political Perspectives on Climate
• What Does Climate Justice Mean?: Faith Communities Taking Action (chaired by Dr. Lois Mitchell)

The day also included a special Interfaith presentation from Africa and concluded with a round table discussion of Action Steps that communities of faith might take as Canada prepares for COP 17 (The 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Durban, South Africa, beginning on November 28th.

A statement called “The Canadian Interfaith Call for Leadership and Action on Climate Change” was prepared and circulated in advance of the Oct. 24th event. It was the basis of a press conference held the following day – on Oct. 25th. The Call for Action addresses three issues:

1. Climate change: the spiritual roots of a crisis
2. Values for a sustainable economy
3. The challenge of climate justice

The Interfaith group was represented at the Press Conference by Willard Metzger (Mennonite Church of Canada), Mardi Tyndal (United Church) and Susanne Tamas (Bahai).

The Press Release and the full text of the Call for Action can be seen at http://www.councilofchurches.ca/en/news-view.cfm?newsID=153 or on the CCC facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Canadian-Council-of-Churches/149853111692544.