Baha’i community deepens its commitment to combatting climate change
In the last couple of weeks there has been a flurry of activity in respect of climate change. Coming hard on the heels of the Islam Green Initiative (2010-2017) the Baha’i International Community particpated in the UK based Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) at Windsor Castle this month as reported by the Baha’i World News Service.
“Representatives of the Baha’i Faith presented a plan that focuses on using a system of regional training institutes to encourage within the worldwide Baha’i community ‘acts of service related to environmental sustainability.’
Details of this plan are spelled out in the Baha’i International Community’s Seven Year Plan of Action on Climate Change:
“The most effective method to raise the consciousness of the worldwide Bahá’í community on the subject of climate change and to engage them in acts of service related to environmental sustainability is for the Institute to develop a course to explore the relationship of humans to the environment as articulated in the Bahá’í Sacred Writings. This course would not simply be aimed at increasing knowledge on the subject but, as mentioned above, would build the capacity of participants to engage in acts of service related to environmental sustainability. Similarly, the programs for children and junior youth would include material on climate change and the contribution that the younger generation can make to address the climate crisis. ”
An example of the content of such training programmes is given here on the International Environment Forum website, Scientific and Spiritual Dimensions of Climate Change: A Study Course. There has been a long standing interest in environmental matters and issues of sustainability within the Baha’i community. See for example:
Dimitry Podger, (2009) Contributions of the American Bahá’í Community to Education for Sustainability, Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 3(1), 65-74.
Arthur Lyon Dahl, The response to climate change from the Baha’i community 2009 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 6 572039 (1pp) doi: 10.1088/1755-1307/6/57/572039
Chris Jones Kavelin, (2008) An Individual Bahá’í Perspective on Spiritual Aspects of Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development: Towards a Second Enlightenment ,The International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, 8(1), 71-80.
John Thelen Steere, (2007) Ecological Stewardship as Applied Spirituality: A Baha’i Perspective, Journal of Baha’i Studies, 15(1-4), 73-91
Michael Richards (2006) Integrating moral values in rural education and sustainable development in Latin America: the System of Tutorial Learning (SAT) Bahai Studies Review, 13, 105-117.
Anna Vakil, (2001), Natural Stirrings at the Grassroots:Development, Doctrine, and the Dignity Principle, Journal of Baha’i Studies, 11(1-2), 23-76
Robert A. White, (1988), Spiritual Foundations for an Ecologically Sustainable Society, Journal of Bahá’í Studies Vol. 7(2), 33-57.
White, RA (1994). A Baha’i perspective on an ecologically sustainable society. In ME Tucker & JA Grim (Eds.), Worldviews and ecology: Religion, Philosophy, and the Environment (Ecology and Justice Series), Maryknoll:Orbis Books,96–112.