Ten Powerful Ways in which you can contribute to help the Environment and develop an eternal, positive relationship with the elements.

Live Simply

When we use our mental emotional and physical resources wisely and carefully, based on our needs rather than our desires, we are able to fulfil our responsibility as trustees of the earth.

Be Unlimited

By connecting with our spiritual essence and going beyond the artificial divisions of gender, race, culture and religion, we feel part of a global family and act accordingly.

Open the Heart

Practising compassion, forgiveness and unconditional love for the self and others, enables the healing of this shattered world.

Clean Mind

Putting a full stop to negative and wasteful thinking and using the power of the mind in a positive way is the foundation for world transformation.

Respect Life

Recognising the uniqueness, wonder and beauty of our own being, enables us to treat ourselves, other animals and nature with Consideration and Care.

Walk the Talk

When we remain true to our inner values and follow our conscience, despite resistance from others, our actions bring benefit to many.

Empower Yourself

Realising that we are creators of our own world, and that we always have a choice as to how we deal with the challenges of life, brings a sense of freedom and responsibility which gives us the faith and courage to make a difference.

Eat Well

Pure vegetarian food, cooked with love, nourishes our whole being and contributes to the health of the planet.

Follow Your Dream

The more powerful, positive and detailed our vision of the future, the more likely we are to achieve it.

Feed the Soul

Spending time in meditation or contemplation gives us the inner strength and wisdom to deal with life in a more positive and peaceful way.

Contributed by Bk John McConnel UK

In December 2009, leaders from 192 nations met in Copenhagen to negotiate climate legislation. They were surrounded by thousands of scientists, business leaders, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), including religious organizations and student groups. The purpose was to craft an agreement to reduce the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The political leaders were unable to reach a consensus on a procedure at the talks.

A last-minute “Copenhagen Accord” was negotiated by the leaders of the United States, China, Brazil, India, and South Africa, and it attracted support from the European Union and most other world leaders. The countries were, however, only willing to indicate that they had “taken note” of this agreement, and none of the commitments made were politically or legally binding. Though the accord encompassed all of the significant measures that most nations said were needed to respond to climate change, it did not include some steps that many climate scientists and diplomats consider necessary to keep the increase in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius, a generally agreed upon threshold for forestalling the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

In particular, the developing nations have different needs than the industrialized ones and are mistrusting of verbal commitments from the United States and China which are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.

The Earth’s climate has always been varied, but recently the droughts are more widespread and longer, the storms more frequent and severe, and glaciers and ice caps are melting at an unprecedented rate. Climate change is already having devastating effects around the world, as presented by some of the most vulnerable countries at the Copenhagen conference. A consensus among many of the world’s leading climate scientists tells us that we have little time to turn the trend around for soon it will no longer be possible. This would have immense consequences for the planet and all its inhabitants.

Although the Copenhagen conference (known as COP 15 in the United Nations system) did not produce a binding agreement among nations, it nonetheless inspired a new sense of urgency and seriousness about the climate crisis. The talks were an awakening of sorts. An unprecedented number of leaders from all over the world participated, conveying the overriding message that they understand the implications of climate change and want to take action to arrest it. Hundreds of thousands of nongovernmental organizations worldwide, including many religious, spiritual, and indigenous organizations, showed overwhelming support for emissions reductions.

There is also a growing recognition that the costs of doing nothing to mitigate climate change will be far greater than the costs of acting now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Now that the “cards are on the table” and the world is aware of the planet in peril, we enter a new age of action. We have seen that the political leaders of the world want to save their people and countries from climate disasters, but are unable to find agreement on how to do it. This lays a pathway for religious and spiritual leaders and grassroots members to engage even more actively. The moral responsibility called for in declarations by mainstream religions, indigenous and spiritual communities, and interfaith organizations must be proclaimed and acted upon. The Copenhagen conference prepared the way for people of faith worldwide to be a decisive force in the movement for change.
Last Updated ( Monday, 22 February 2010 )

Climate Change Statement