The notion that global climate change is not merely “an inconvenient truth,” but an evil to be resisted by persons of faith, was at the heart of an interfaith conference on the environment held in Jerusalem March 19.
The Interfaith Climate and Energy Conference, held at the Mishkenot Sha’ananim Conference Center, brought together Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders – from both the Middle East and worldwide -- for a discussion about the religious and ethical motivations behind actions to promote environmental sustainability and the use of renewable energy.
Leaders participating in the conference included Archbishop Elias Chacour of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Patriarch Theophilos III of the Greek Orthodox Church, Imam Sheik Muhammed Amara and Rabbi Ronen Lubitch. In addition, many world religious leaders – including Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and the Dalai Lama – provided pre-recorded perspectives on climate change and the environment.
The event was a collaboration between the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, a Jerusalem-based organization of religious leaders promoting environmental responsibility, and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, a political organization that supports self-determination, the rule of law and market economies.
