The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, began with two events on Sunday 31 October. The opening day of the intergovernmental meeting started with a plenary addressed by the past and future Presidents of the COP and the leaders of the UNFCCC and IPCC, along with an inspiring statement by a young Maori woman representing indigenous peoples, invited specially by the President of COP26 to address its opening.
Interfaith Scotland Events on Sunday 31st October
In the afternoon of 31 October, Interfaith Scotland invited people of all faiths to gather in George Square, Glasgow, reaching the limit of 500, as well as online, for a COP26 Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Vigil for the success of the climate conference, at the opening of Scottish Interfaith Week. Maureen Sier, chair of Interfaith Scotland, after remembering the spiritual values of indigenous peoples, emphasised the need to act with one soul, one voice, and one message that we have only one planet. Pilgrims from afar were welcomed, and a young Ginko tree, of a very ancient species and a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, had been carried by pilgrims for planting in a Glasgow park. The Glasgow Multifaith Declaration for COP26 was read, and then prayers from nine religions were shared.
The video can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvkkXqdLYRRsF_fh6NkCw1Q
This was followed by the Talanoa Dialogue Towards COP26 which was hosted by the International Interfaith Liaison Committee to the UNFCCC and was supported by Interfaith Scotland, held in a beautiful 19th century synagogue and online. Fiji as president of the UNFCCC introduced their traditional concept of a Talanoa dialogue where participants sit in circle telling positive stories to build trust and cooperation in addressing community issues. IEF members Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen and Arthur Dahl participated in these Talanoa Dialogues with diplomats when they were first held at the UNFCCC. In Glasgow, the event started with presentations by different faith community leaders emphasising our moral responsibility for all those suffering from climate change and the necessary concern for future generations. A representative of the UN Office for Human Rights described the recent Human Rights Council decisions to adopt a human right to a clean and healthy environment, and to create a Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change. A representative of the Pacific Conference of Churches from Fiji explained the cultural significance of a Talanoa dialogue, the deep spiritual relationship of Pacific peoples with the land and sea, and the suffering now faced in the Pacific Islands as storms strengthen and sea level rises. A member of the Sami indigenous peoples of the Arctic also described how nature in their wilderness is sacred and their home, which they have always managed with wisdom which they offered to share.
In the second part of the Talanoa dialogue, small groups were formed both in Glasgow and online to discuss issues like climate change and advocacy, finance, young people, the wisdom of indigenous peoples, loss and damage, and human rights, one of which was led by IEF member Halldor Thorgeirsson. These then reported back to the main group, before a closing segment of an Interfaith Worship Service.
Also on 2 November, the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Glasgow held an event to launch their Bahá’í Eco-pledge, a beautiful booklet with 19 individual pledges for practical measures that anyone can do, and a selection of relevant Bahá’í quotations. Given the moral imperative of global justice and the need to achieve sustainable balance in our lives and on the planet, these aim to help every citizen to take action. The booklet can be downloaded in online and high resolution (8.5MB) versions here.
Earth Reflections
On Wednesday evening 3 November, the last of a series of monthly online Earth Reflections organised by Glasgow Bahá’í Community was held with participants in Glasgow and from around the world. These events leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow aimed to help individuals and communities to prepare for this momentous meeting and as a reminder of the importance of our planet. It provided an opportunity to listen and to share reflections, hopes, poems, prayers from different traditions and tributes to the planet we call home. There was music, a Hindu prayer, poets from the Shetlands and Uganda, reflections about the beauty of nature, quotations from the Quran, a Bahá’í prayer in Hawaiian, reflections on the prayer and meditation vigil before COP26, and Sami chanting.
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Action on Climate Change: Multiple Paths to a Better Future
