Religion still plays vital part in struggle for earth's future
- Source: Global Times
- [21:44 November 05 2009]
- Comments
Illustration: Liu Rui
By Martin Palmer
As world leaders prepare for the struggle over new climate change agreements at Copenhagen, a powerful new influence has emerged for climate action – one that may surprise many. It's religion.
Nine of the world's major faiths – Bahaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism and Sikhism – gathered at a major event at Windsor Castle in England Monday to announce long-term action plans on the planet.
The event was organized by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC), a secular body that helps religions develop environmental programs based on their core teachings and beliefs.
As Secretary General of ARC, as well as a long-term student of Chinese culture who has been privileged to translate both Laozi and Zhuangzi (two great philosophers of ancient China), I'm especially happy about our work in China.
ARC has been working in China since the mid-1990s. At Windsor, senior leaders from the China Daoist Association and the Buddhist Association of China will launch eight-year plans designed to make changes in behavior that will shape generations of believers. Their plans have the approval of the Chinese government.
Daoism and Buddhism both stress the importance of protecting nature.
Daoist wisdom emphasizes living in harmony with the environment, while Buddhists believe in compassion toward all life.
Chinese Buddhists issued the "Putuoshan Declaration" on Buddhism and ecology in 2006 at China's largest Buddhist meeting since 1949.
Daoist leaders have put together an eight-year plan, to run from 2010 to 2017, which will hold Daoism's founding figure, Laozi, as the "God of Ecology" and emphasize good environmental practice as the heart of Daoism.
Both faiths in China already work to promote environmental education, convert their temples to carbon-neutral policies, and establish holy sites such as Wutai Mountain as models of good practice.
However, this goes far beyond China. Faiths reach out to 85 percent of the world's population, own 7 to 8 percent of the habitable land on the planet and 5 percent of commercial forests.
