The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) is a multi-faith grassroots organization which is part of two worlds. It is a religious organization, so is faithful to its members’ spiritual traditions. It is also a climate action organization, advocating for public policies which contribute to climate justice.

Climate change is a subject on which there is an amazing level of agreement among diverse religious traditions. The synergies can be traced all the way back to the sacred texts of each of the various religious traditions. Examples of the originating texts include:

From the Christian Bible: “And God saw everything he had made, and indeed it was very good … The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden to till and to look after it.” (Genesis 2:15)

From the Islamic Qur’an: “Corruption has appeared on the land and in the sea because of what the hands of humans have wrought. This is in order that we give them a taste of the consequences of their misdeeds that perhaps they will turn to the path of right guidance.” (Qur’an, 30:41)

There are common themes among the various traditions. Examples include a valuing of the interconnectedness of all life, our human responsibility to respect the balance of Nature and to care for all those who depend on it. Other themes are that our material needs as human beings are quite minimal and that our true happiness lies in the quality of our relationships.

Theologians have reflected on these to form “eco-theologies” more relevant to the contemporary context and these theologies have, in turn, led to public statements on climate-related issues.

With the exception of a significant minority of fundamentalist believers, people of faith have accepted the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change. In the last two decades, public statements by religious leaders on the subject have become increasingly strong. An example is an excerpt from a declaration released on August 17th, 2015, at the International Islamic Climate Change Symposium held in Istanbul:

“We call on the people of all nations and their leaders to –

• Aim to phase out greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible in order to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere;
• Commit themselves to 100% renewable energy and/or a zero emissions strategy as early as possible, to mitigate the environmental impact of their activities;
• Invest in decentralized renewable energy, which is the best way to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development;” ….(Section 3.3)

From time to time ARRCC publishes open letters, signed by various leaders from diverse faith communities. Some of these leaders are quite prominent. The Grand Mufti, the Primate of the Anglican Church in Australia, the Presidents of faith-based peak bodies and other most respected faith leaders have joined their voices to our public calls for climate action.

ARRCC has published Climate Action kits in five of the major religious traditions, including an Islamic Climate Action kit. These include sections with prayers, theology, science and practical suggestions, all challenging faith communities to align their common life with the moral imperative to care for the earth. We have also strongly encouraged people to eat less meat because of the environmental damage caused, particularly by sheep and cattle. And ARRCC has encouraged people and organisations to move their money out of institutions which continue to invest in fossil fuels.

The Australian context, so dominated by the fossil fuel industry, is a challenging one within which to work. Just when the world needs to rapidly shift to renewable energy, our government has been reducing its support for the transition. Just when the world needs to move away from coal, Australia is expanding coal exports.

The time for action to avert the climate crisis is now, but many people are unable to act. They are the many millions of people in developing countries who are suffering because of climate change, and there are those generations who will follow after us. They cannot influence what happens. We can. Their future depends on what we do today.

Thea Ormerod,
President, ARRCC
[email protected]
www.arrcc.org.au