Religion and the Rights of Nature
Typically, when we think of legal rights, we envision the rights between people and their government. But what about rights regarding the environment? In recent years, a new legal strategy known as the Rights of Nature (RoN) has emerged, aimed at protecting the environment from the threats of climate change, pollution, and overdevelopment.
How Religious Communities Are Curbing Climate Change
Alana House – Faith groups are constantly at the forefront of human rights initiatives, working as a support system for victims who have suffered a variety of abuse. Religious groups are adept at recognizing the most vulnerable groups within society and work diligently to assist them.
Environmental Justice and Religion
Quinn McVeigh – Environmental racism is a key focus of the environmental justice movement. It refers to not only a disproportionate access to environmental benefits such as clean air and local parks, but also to disproportionate exposure to hazards such as toxic waste and contaminated water supply.
Daoism and the Construction of Sustainable Societies
Clara Calabuig – According to Dr. Sarah Flavel, scholar from the Bath Spa University, the environmental problems that we face today can be explained by the Daoist principle of yin-yang, and thus are a result of a loss of balance in the human-nature relationship: “We have gone too far in exploiting the environment, to the extent that if we do not retreat from this path, we will lose balance completely”.
Spiritual Ecology: A Sufi Perspective
Tanja Mancinelli – These are the introductory words of Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, a worldwide known Sufi teacher, in his recently published book “Spiritual Ecology. 10 Practices to Reawaken the Sacred in Everyday Life”.
Mobilizing Religious Communities to Care for Philadelphia and the Earth
Rabbi Yonatan Neril – As Philadelphia has experienced a rise in temperatures due to climate change, Mayor Jim Kenney has committed the city to 100 percent clean energy by 2030. This is a positive direction, since scientific evidence has made it increasingly clear that human activity is changing the climate and making extreme weather events more common.
Thoughts After Meeting the Pope to Talk About Our Planet’s Health
Rabbi Yonatan Neril – I recently met Pope Francis at a Vatican conference titled Laudato Si’: Saving Our Common Home and the Future of Life on Earth. What I appreciate about Pope Francis is that he is a forward-thinking religious leader who is aware of the ecological and spiritual crisis which humanity faces. His Encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, is one of the most powerful articulations of a religious environmental ethic. Caring for our common home shouldn’t be a right or left wing, conservative or liberal issue. It’s a religious issue because this is God’s earth.
Partnering in Good Faith, for the Rehabilitation of the Jordan River
Andrew Deutsch – A very special interfaith ecology tour, “Partnering in Good Faith, Towards the Rehabilitation of the Jordan River,” took place on January 28th, 2016. EcoPeace led the tour, and Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD) organized an interfaith group of participants to attend, from its Women’s Faith and Ecology Project. Similar tours are taking place with Jordanians and Palestinians, with the intention to enable Jews, Christians, and Muslims to learn about, and discuss the relationship between faith traditions, ecology and the Jordan River.
Women’s Faith and Ecology Project in Jerusalem Spurs Dialogue and Action
Manya Kagan – The Women’s Faith and Ecology Project in Jerusalem continues to engage Christian, Muslim, and Jewish women in the Jerusalem area for inspiring seminars on faith and ecology.