Faith-Based
Climate Action
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Climate action and pipeline protest signs during a faith gathering and prayer circle in Minnesota, June 2021. (Kerem Yucel/AFP)
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When our grandchildren ask us where we were when the voiceless and vulnerable of our era needed leaders of compassion and purpose, I hope we can say that we showed up, and that we showed up on time.
~Gary Haugen, President of International Justice Mission
Nearly all faith traditions teach us to care for the earth and each other, and emphasize the virtue of living by these values. The growing number of religious books, articles, sermons, colloquia, and even seminary tracks devoted to Creation Care and eco-spirituality is testimony to the concern's rising significance as a moral imperative for people of faith.
In the U.S. and around the globe faith-based organizations are bringing together religious leaders, people of diverse faiths, and "spiritual but not religious" people to learn, grow, collaborate and take action. When united in faith behind the common concern of climate change, we are a powerful voice heard on both sides of the aisle. If you are not yet acquainted with some of the organizations and religious leaders now emerging as beacons in the climate movement, we encourage you to tune-in to this positive change in the climate action landscape by reviewing the resources below.
As individual Friends and Meetings, our voices are magnified and our effectiveness is strengthened when we join with other people of faith for climate action. The time is now for us to begin building partnerships with other churches in our communities. An African proverb advises us that "in times of flood, the wise build bridges and the foolish build walls." Building relational partnerships before crisis occurs is the most important predictor of a community’s resilience and ability to navigate difficulties.
Below, you will find links to several of the best known faith-based climate organizations, as well as some authors you may want to get to know.
connections and inspiration
to learn more, click on organization's logo
creation justice ministries
Creation Justice Ministries educates, equips and mobilizes various Christian denominations, congregations and individuals to protect, restore, and share Creation, with a particular concern for eco-justice on behalf of the vulnerable and marginalized.
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Interfaith Power & Light engages congregations of all faith traditions in environmental stewardship and climate action. The organization inspires and mobilizes people of faith to support renewable and energy efficiency projects and bold initiatives addressing climate change.
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GreenFaith’s mission is to inspire, educate and mobilize people of diverse faith backgrounds for environmental leadership. Its work is based on beliefs shared by the world’s great religions, that protecting the earth is a religious value and that environmental stewardship is a moral responsibility.
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various media of interest to friends
Books and Articles
Bock, Cherice, "Quakers and Creation Care: Potentials and Pitfalls for an Ecotheology of Friends (Chapter Five in Quakers, Creation Care, and Sustainability)" (2019). Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary. 146. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes/146
Hayhoe, Katharine, "Saving Us" (2021) One Signal/Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Tobias Müller & Esra Özyürek, "Religious communities can make the difference in winning the fight against climate change" in The Conversation (December 1, 2021) https://theconversation.com/religious-communities-can-make-the-difference-in-winning-the-fight-against-climate-change-172192
Videos
Examining the Religious and Spiritual Implications of Climate Change, a one hour panel conversation hosted by Harvard Divinity School on May 12, 2023. Not about climate action per se, but a very interesting examination of the spiritual, religious and ethical questions that arise as we consider climate collapse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0MyeZ2qeVs
Faith in Climate Advocacy: Religion as a Resource for Climate Action, a 90 minute panel discussion hosted by the Fletcher Initiative in May of 2022. The panelists consider the role of religious communities and leaders in climate advocacy and in shaping the direction of global climate policy and negotiations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtzU8ksXiOQ
Bock, Cherice, "Quakers and Creation Care: Potentials and Pitfalls for an Ecotheology of Friends (Chapter Five in Quakers, Creation Care, and Sustainability)" (2019). Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary. 146. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes/146
Hayhoe, Katharine, "Saving Us" (2021) One Signal/Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Tobias Müller & Esra Özyürek, "Religious communities can make the difference in winning the fight against climate change" in The Conversation (December 1, 2021) https://theconversation.com/religious-communities-can-make-the-difference-in-winning-the-fight-against-climate-change-172192
Videos
Examining the Religious and Spiritual Implications of Climate Change, a one hour panel conversation hosted by Harvard Divinity School on May 12, 2023. Not about climate action per se, but a very interesting examination of the spiritual, religious and ethical questions that arise as we consider climate collapse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0MyeZ2qeVs
Faith in Climate Advocacy: Religion as a Resource for Climate Action, a 90 minute panel discussion hosted by the Fletcher Initiative in May of 2022. The panelists consider the role of religious communities and leaders in climate advocacy and in shaping the direction of global climate policy and negotiations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtzU8ksXiOQ