The conference plenary sessions helped to articulate some of the features of a conception of human nature found in the thought and in the lives of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha. A more daunting task seemed to be the work of correlating those Baha’i insights with concepts in various fields of study and professional work.

Several participants noted that, “we really are at a preliminary stage in this, aren’t we?”, while others commented how the conference theme “… was not easy, but quite complex, but sure seems necessary.”

At least one presenter said the complexity was due to the often fragmented ideas that influence current thinking on the subject of human nature. A few others mentioned the near monopoly on current thinking which materialism and an emphasis on self-interest and competition enjoys in social discourse, with disastrous social consequences. Others noted that ideas about human nature are superficial and merely implicit in much of contemporary thinking, whether in public policy discussions, in the culture at large or in professional and private business and management work. Too often, these assumptions about human nature go unquestioned. Others noted that there is evidence of new and encouraging efforts to draw on new concepts of human nature in science and in some professional fields, and Baha’is should try to work with those efforts. Similar comments were made in several break-out sessions of the conference but came into particular focus during a plenary session and a break-out session led by Dr. Michael Karlberg.

There was a widespread acknowledgement in both plenary and break-out sessions that a systematic effort to influence new thinking about the fundamentals of human reality is today more urgent than ever, however complicated the task may be, and however much modern lifestyles conspire against the provision of spaces where people can rethink these fundamentals of the human condition.

In the task of gaining clarity on a Baha’i approach to understanding human nature, the conference got off to an impressive start with an opening address by author, painter and former member of the Universal House of Justice, Mr. Hooper Dunbar. Having just published his book, “Forces of Our Time”, he drew on some of the themes in that book to address the dual aspect of human nature in his talk, highlighting, among other insights, how efforts to reflect the qualities and attributes of God, possible through the knowledge and love of His Manifestation, leads to a life, not merely of greater joy and happiness, but one full of motion and dynamism rather than a life that stalls out, becomes boring and repetitive characterized by a preoccupation with the material and lower side of human nature when life becomes consumed by self-interest, appetite and physical desires. An artist, as well as a thinker, Mr. Dunbar called to mind the contrast of darkness and light that attends human life and that calls out from a human being those choices that either reflect the light of the divine and the qualities of God or which deny the larger reality and excitement of life’s possibilities.

The Balyuzi lecturer this year, Dr. Julio Savi, continued the reflection begun by Mr. Dunbar on concepts central to a Baha’i view of human reality. Dr. Savi addressed the fundamental paradox that has puzzled thinkers through the centuries who have tried to make sense of a world of determination and cause and effect, with the freedom which human nature seems to be endowed.

Dr. Savi gave a tour through some of the most relevant commentaries of Baha’u’llah, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice on the seeming contradiction between a world of determination that generates ideas of fate and pre-established destiny, and ideas of freedom and choice. Dr. Savi’s well developed guide to an extensive body of authoritative commentary served to highlight the relationships among basic features of human existence: contingency, the limits and potential of human capacity (innate, inherited and acquired) and the nature of divine destiny, and the purpose and potentiality of human life. The presentation provided an answer to that superficial and one-dimensional misreading of human reality conveyed in materialistic conceptions, and demonstrated how freedom and submission to the Will of God are, in fact, one and indivisible, rather than contradictory.

The need for a sounder understanding of human nature was illustrated in another plenary session on perspectives and insights on the challenges and opportunities of creating social and cultural reconciliation. Several prominent Aboriginal speakers including Dr. Lee Brown, Chief Douglas White III Kwulasultun and Ms. Jacqueline Left Hand Bull provided a penetrating commentary on the damage and suffering which erroneous views of human nature have wrought in North American history. However, they also highlighted alternative understandings of human nature from indigenous perspectives that can contribute to a conceptual framework and understanding of human nature that is both intellectually compelling as well as emotionally and spiritually fulfilling – to the extent that reconciliation is genuinely advanced.

Ever present in the minds and hearts of participants throughout the days of the conference was the news of the 20-year prison sentences handed down to the seven members of the Yaran, the ad hoc committee looking after the minimal needs of the Baha’i community in Iran. One could hardly imagine a darker and more entirely misguided conception of human nature than what informs those responsible for such an outrage against justice and humanity. International human rights expert and McGill Law Professor Payam Akhavan addressed the conference on the subject. This reference to the darker forces at play in the world today, so dramatic in the case of Iran, could not help but inspire further reflection among participants on the sharp contrast of the Baha’i perspective on human nature and that view of human reality that divides humankind and desperately refuses to acknowledge the movement of history, the needs of the age and the common oneness of humanity. That human nature, when turned away from God, leads on to destruction and injustice, immense suffering and despair under the leadership of the ignorant and the evil could hardly have given the conference a more vivid lesson.

The conference’s closing session featured Continental Board of Counsellor Alison Milston who reviewed the Universal House of Justice’s references to community and how those references have been helping the Baha’i community learn a new language and a new self-understanding of their own community, one that takes in the larger human family, whether at the neighbourhood and local level, or globally. The talk not only served to stimulate thoughts of how religion has often wrongly conceived of human community in inclusive and divisive terms, and how this approach is at odds with a more matures Baha’i understanding of community.

Though merely a start, and at times one that seemed fitful and even painful to many of the participants, the ABS Conference on rethinking human nature was a learning experience involving over 1800 people from many different communities, backgrounds and ages, taking place in a brief few days, and in a space, mode and style of reflection that represents a learning event still at an early stage in its evolution.

If participants left with more questions than answers, as many surely did, the conference was an important step in the kind of effort required if Baha’i understanding is to advance and begin to engage contemporary thinking.

Original story: http://bahainews.ca/en/100817-abs

The 19th century in particular saw the birth of a number of modern religions and religious movements, a few of which became new world religions. The Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormon”), the Seventh-Day Adventists, the German Templars, the Ahmadiyaah, the various shades of the salafiyyah in Sunni Islam, The HaBaD Hassidut in Judaism and a few other religious developments are all topics which were discussed in the previous conferences and are open to discussion in this conference. The book published following the 2000 conference – Studies in Modern Religions and Religious Movements and the Babí-Bahá’í Faiths(ed. M. Sharon) was published by E.J.Brill, Leiden, 2004.

CALL FOR PAPERS Please send the topic and no more than a 500 words abstract of your suggested papers and a short CV until 15 September 2010 to: Professor Moshe Sharon, Chair in Bahá’í Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905. Or by E-mail: msharon@mscc.huji.ac.il Institutions: Please circulate this call among the academic staff. Important Note: Participants, particularly Bahá’ís are advised to arrive in Israel at least on March 20 to be able to take part in the Naw Ruz celebrations at Akko and Haifa. Detailed programme including logistics will follow

The Senate of the University emphasized Dr. Lincoln’s contribution to Israel’s community and to the city of Haifa in particular, as well as his longstanding friendship with the University of Haifa, which is expressed in ongoing collaboration between the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa and the University.

Dr. Lincoln was born in the United States in 1945. He is a direct descendent of the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, and a more distant relative of the sixteenth, Abraham Lincoln. Dr. Lincoln received a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and during his professional career worked as a lawyer in four countries (France, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire), three languages, and many different fields of the law, ranging from human rights, intellectual property and natural resources to torts and criminal law.

In 1994 he was appointed Secretary-General of the Haifa-based Bahá’í International Community. In this role, which is a form of volunteer service to the community, offered without remuneration, Dr. Lincoln has been responsible for the relations between the Bahá’í World Centre and all religions and communities in Israel. Noteworthy milestones in his sixteen-year period of service include the inscription of the Bahá’í sites in Haifa and Akko on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List in 2008.

Over the years Dr. Lincoln’s efforts toward achieving equality and human brotherhood have been based on a positive view of diversity. This approach has earned much recognition, as expressed in the Tolerance Medal that he received from the District Governor of the Rotary Clubs in Israel in 2004 and the Award of Merit given by the Beit Hagefen Arab-Jewish Center in 2005.

Since 2000 the Department of Middle Eastern History and the Bahá’í World Centre under Dr. Lincoln’s leadership have collaborated in a series of public lectures on the Bahá’í Faith, opening the Bahá’í Community to the general public in Israel and contributing to the bridge of understanding between religions. Source: http://newmedia-eng.haifa.ac.il/?p=3045

How can Bahá’í scholarship contribute to the emergence of a new consensus regarding human nature? How we see social reality depends largely on our assumptions, but much contemporary discourse implicitly or explicitly assumes that human nature is self-interested and competitive and that human relations are necessarily conflict-based. In economics, political science, sociology, education, law, international relations, and even religious studies, theories have been built upon these assumptions. Consequently, social institutions, media representations, the arts, and popular culture largely reflect and reinforce them.

Despite this prevailing world view, new understandings of human nature are emerging at the margins of many academic disciplines. These acknowledge the human potential not only for egoism but also for altruism, not only for competition but also for cooperation. Such emerging scientific understandings are further supported by the world’s great religious systems, which offer spiritual and social practices designed to cultivate our altruistic and cooperative potential. Yet these scientific and religious insights continue to be eclipsed by an entrenched model of human nature based on egoism and conflict.

Mindful of the complementary insights of both science and religion and in collaboration with like-minded individuals, Bahá’ís can draw upon both the Bahá’í writings and emerging knowledge in various disciplines to articulate and advance new models of human nature. The experiences of the Bahá’í community and others can be investigated to lend support and insight to these efforts. The annual ABS conference is one venue where scholarship and ongoing collaborative efforts can be fostered.
You are invited to explore these and related questions at the 34th Annual Conference of the Association for Bahá’í Studies – North America, to be held in Vancouver, B.C., August 12-15, 2010.

Appendix
…Indeed, so much have aggression and conflict come to characterize our social, economic and religious systems, that many have succumbed to the view that such behaviour is intrinsic to human nature and therefore ineradicable.

With the entrenchment of this view, a paralyzing contradiction has developed in human affairs. On the one hand, people of all nations proclaim not only their readiness but their longing for peace and harmony, for an end to the harrowing apprehensions tormenting their daily lives. On the other, uncritical assent is given to the proposition that human beings are incorrigibly selfish and aggressive and thus incapable of erecting a social system at once progressive and peaceful, dynamic and harmonious, a system giving free play to individual creativity and initiative but based on co-operation and reciprocity.

As the need for peace becomes more urgent, this fundamental contradiction, which hinders its realization, demands a reassessment of the assumptions upon which the commonly held view of mankind’s historical predicament is based. Dispassionately examined, the evidence reveals that such conduct, far from expressing man’s true self, represents a distortion of the human spirit. Satisfaction on this point will enable all people to set in motion constructive social forces which, because they are consistent with human nature, will encourage harmony and co-operation instead of war and conflict. - The Universal House of Justice, The Promise of World Peace (1985).

Throughout history—and despite theologically or ideologically inspired assurances to the contrary—power has been largely interpreted as advantage enjoyed by persons or groups. Often, indeed, it has been expressed simply in terms of means to be used against others. This interpretation of power has become an inherent feature of the culture of division and conflict that has characterized the human race during the past several millennia, regardless of the social, religious, or political orientations that have enjoyed ascendancy in given ages, in given parts of the world. In general, power has been an attribute of individuals, factions, peoples, classes, and nations. It has been an attribute especially associated with men rather than women. Its chief effect has been to confer on its beneficiaries the ability to acquire, to surpass, to dominate, to resist, to win.

…In its traditional, competitive expression, power is as irrelevant to the needs of humanity’s future as would be the technologies of railway locomotion to the task of lifting space satellites into orbits around the earth.
The analogy is more than a little apt. The human race is being urged by the requirements of its own maturation to free itself from its inherited understanding and use of power. That it can do so is demonstrated by the fact that, although dominated by the traditional conception, humanity has always been able to conceive of power in other forms critical to its hopes. History provides ample evidence that, however intermittently and ineptly, people of every background, throughout the ages, have tapped a wide range of creative resources within themselves. - Bahá’í International Community, The Prosperity of Humankind (1995)

Call for Presentations
Proposals are invited for presentations on (but not limited to) the above themes, as well as themes pertaining to creative processes and concepts within the performing arts, visual arts, and other modes of artistic expression.
Presentations must explore an original question or proposition through a clearly described method or approach.  Proposals must outline the presentation in detail and provide sufficient background on the topic and on the presenter’s qualifications for the review panel to judge the value of the contribution. A broad range of qualifications is recognized, beyond purely academic and/or professional.  Proposals must be for substantially original work, unpublished and not previously presented.

While many presentations are in the style of talks, the use of the arts and other diverse approaches is also encouraged. Presentations should be seen as a collaborative process, where the speaker engages conference participants in discussion on new work, which further advances that work. Papers will be considered for publication in The Journal of Bahá’í Studies. Proposals are especially welcome from youth and first-time ABS presenters. Guidelines for submissions are available on the ABS website, and you can also contact the ABS if you would like further assistance with preparing a proposal.
Proposals must be submitted on-line (go to Presentation Form). Potential presenters unable to submit on-line may contact the address below for further information on alternate means of submission.
The deadline for submitting proposals is 1 April 2010.

Association for Bahá’í Studies
34 Copernicus St., Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 7K4
Tel.: (613) 233-1903; fax: (613) 233-3644
or email ABS

“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.

 The thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the inauguration of the revolutionary state this year signals also the 30 year persecution repression and subsequent world-wide diaspora of the Iranian Baha’i community. In recent years the Egyptian Baha’i community has experienced persecution, adverse psychological propaganda, arson and legal entanglements as they too have batted the persecutor’s and conspirator’s  mindset. The Bibliography on the Persecution, Repression and Diaspora of the Baha’i community is designed to be selective but broad in its range: documenting persecution, human rights issues, studies of diasporic individuals and communities, parliamentary transactions and resolutions, legal challenges, historical sociological medical and anthropological perspectives and dimensions of persecution, diaspora and martyrdom. It is designed to give the researcher a broad overview of the range and type of material available on this topic and to bootstrap new analysis scholarship and research. Material is selected from European language sources.

Qualification 1) Bahais, 2) Non-Bahais who are interested in the Bahai Faith or/and in realizing an ideal society
Type of presentation 1) Individual presentation 2) Group presentation
Method of Presentation 1) Presentation with written or visual materials, 2) Presentation with demonstration or exhibition, 3) Dialogue, discussion, or other styles

Koki Sugimoto, Conference site chair
ADRESS 1558 Shinohara-cho, Kouhoku-ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 222-0026
E-MAIL bricolage_koki@yahoo.co.jp
FAX 045-401-5497

The conference will open Thursday morning with several general sessions as well as the Student/Faculty Development Program A special all-day workshop on  Thursday will explore the topic “Engaging the Writings: Scholarship and a Broad Pattern of Action.” Participants will be invited to examine excerpts from the Writings and identify insights on how to engage in and develop new approaches toward scholarship that advance Bahá’í Studies in areas such as global social and economic prosperity, defense of the Faith and the explanation and exploration of its teachings, and correlation of the teachings with the works in various disciplines. The afternoon session, “Some Explorations in Applying Bahá’í Scholarship,” will seek to connect knowledge with a cycle of learning, reflection and action with an emphasis on making a positive contribution to improving society. Presenters Dorothy Marcic, Peter Engstrom, and Johann Wong are from the arts, business and social development arenas and exemplify a strong commitment to putting principles into action.

 Also on Thursday afternoon, the International Environment Forum (IEF) will host a workshop led by Arthur Dahl on “Values-Based Indicators of Sustainable Development,” which welcomes all who are interested in learning about and contributing thoughts to an EU-funded project to develop values-based indicators of sustainable development. Dr. Dahl is senior consultant to the project, which is being jointly undertaken by a number of interested Europeanbased organizations, inspired in part by the Bahá’í International Community’s statement, “Valuing Spirituality in Development.”

Thursday evening’s plenary session on will feature Dr. Dahl’s presentation, “Transforming Environments from the Inside Out.”

The Friday morning plenary session organized by the IEF and moderated by Tahirih Naylor of the Bahá’í International Community will address the topic, “Global Governance, Human Maturity, and the Challenge of Sustainability.” This session will explore the emerging need for more effective international environmental governance in light of the widespread acknowledgement that current approaches are insufficient to safeguard the interests of an increasingly interdependent world. The emergence of a global consciousness of  oneness and the requisite degree of human maturity required to ensure a transition from national to global governance approaches will also be examined.

Peter Adriance, NGO Liaison for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the U.S., will present on “The Essential Role of Religion in Fostering a Sustainable World.” Next, featured presenter Peter G. Brown will address the conference. Dr. Brown is co-author of the book, Right Relationship: Building a Whole Earth Economy (February 2009). The book, which was written by a cooperative group, emerged from the Quaker tradition of dialogue and truth-seeking. The Moral Economy Project and the authors start with the idea that human well-being is entirely dependent on the well-being of the whole commonwealth of life. Dr. Brown’s reflections have garnered strong interest from leaders of thought on the themes of global governance, human maturity, and sustainability.

The presentation will begin by defining the concepts of “right relationship,” the “commonwealth of life,” and “whole earth economy”. Dr. Brown will then introduce five key questions: What is the economy for? How does it work? How big should it be? What is a fair distribution of its benefits and burdens? How should it be governed?

Following this presentation, Arthur Dahl, President of the International Environment Forum, will respond and discuss, with audience participation. In the evening, along with the presentation of the Association for Bahá’í Studies Awards, there will be an Evening with the Arts.

Saturday morning’s plenary will begin with a presentation by Soli Shahvar, director of the Ezri Centre at Haifa University and author of The Forgotten Schools: Baha’is and Modern Education in Iran 1899–1934 (I.B. Tauris International Library of Iranian Studies, 2009), followed by a panel on “Social Environment and Building Bahá’í Community Identity” with Payam Akhavan, Kit Bigelow, and Mark Perry.

Payam Akhavan will discuss, in light of recent developments, the emerging need for a new Iranian Bahá’í identity, not as victims but as an important social force poised to provide leadership for the reconstruction of Iran.

Kit Bigelow will explore the Bahá’í teachings on the important role language and speech play and their relevance for changing our current cultural, social, and human environments. Mark Perry’s presentation will discuss “Annulling Differences of Race: The American Bahá’í Experience and Beyond.” Dr. Perry will trace the processes of change in the Bahá’í community with regard to race and their implications both for the development of early Bahá’í identity and for ongoing processes of change.

The evening program will be devoted to the Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture presented by Otto Don Rogers.

Sunday morning’s plenary will include Member of the Continental Board of Counsellors Ann Boyles, and the Young Scholars Panel, moderated by Jian Khodadad.

Every evening after the plenary sessions there will be “After Hours Arts.”

Breakout sessions at the conference will include the following presentations:

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The Religious Studies Special Interest Group of the Association of Baha’i Studies will be holding  conference on Baha’i Studies at the Baha’i Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, starting 7.00 pm on 24 July and ending 1.00 pm 26 July.

For further information, please contact:
Stephen Lambden - slambden@ucmerced.edu
OR Moojan Momen - moojan@momen.org.uk

Programme:

Lil Abdo, The Baha’i Faith and Wicca - a comparison of Relevance in two emerging religions
Houshmand Badii, TBA
Geoff Nash, Christianity, The Baha’i Faith, and the Crisis of Religious Modernism: an inquiry
Erfan Sabeti, TBA
Moojan Momen, Shi`i History: the alternate view
Stephen Lambden,  The Names of God and theories of His Mightiest or Greatest Name (al-ism al-a`zam) with special reference to the Misbah (Luminary) of Taqi al-Din Kaf`ami (d. 900/1494-5) and to Babi-Baha’i theologies of His Eschatological Name.
Marion Finley, An Approach to Extremism in Islam.
Sen McGlinn, Friday, day of rest?
Zaid Lundberg, TBA

Opposing Viewpoints is a series of education resource texts designed for college or high school students to engender critical thinking and to prevent opposing viewpoints and multiple perspectives on current issues and affairs. A recent volume, Endangered Oceans has an article on human endangered oceans authored by the Baha’i International Community which is the agency which represents Baha’i Communities at the United Nations.  This is a timely reminder that the Baha’i Faith is largely a world-affirming religion, which is, among many objectives, concerned with the upbuilding of nations, human prosperity, social justice and the relief of suffering and poverty, in the context of sustainable global development. All of this is a reflection of the core consciousness of a Baha’i, the consciousness of the oneness of mankind.

In recent years the Baha’i International Community has  been active in the climate change activities of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). Some of that activity is recorded below, including recent reports blogged by young Baha’is serving as interns at the Baha’i International Community offices in New York as they are engaged in work related to climate change, workshops and reports of activities at the CSD-15 and CSD-17 meetings, and the recent position paper on climate change: “Seizing the opportunity: Redefining the challenge of climate change“. The focus of these discussions papers and workshops has been on the social impact of climate change and moreso the ethical and moral dimensions of climate change.  In addition to the activities of the Baha’i International Community, climate change also features as key to the activities of the Baha’i inspired NGO International Environment Forum and the  Baha’i Social and Economic Development conference held annually in Florida. Dr Arthur Dahl has summarised these recent activities in a paper to the IARU International Scientific Congress on Climate Change Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions, Copenhagen, 10-12 March 2009  “The response to climate change from the Baha’i community” . This paper includes links to previous conference presentations and audio of talks presented. These climate change activities have been widely reported in the offical Baha’i news outlet for several years now:  Oxford conference on climate change stresses global collective action (2006), Climate change creates moral issues, says panel (2007) Ethics stressed at UN conference on climate change (2008) Arctic warming is one focus of conference (2007) Faith groups, including Baha’is of Germany, meet on environment and climate concerns (2002)

Baha’i International Community, Interns  recent blog reports

Baha’i Delegate Wows CSD with Climate Change Performance

Having lived and travelled in numerous countries around the world, Kiara Worth now lives in Durban, South Africa, where she uses theater to share knowledge with and empower local communities to act on the social and environmental issues facing them. After performing her one-woman play, “Theatre of Survival,” at a CSD side-event last week, Kiara was invited to deliver a second performance for NGOs. Kiara’s compelling play demonstrates how the challenges of climate change can be communicated through theatre. She takes on the character of an older African woman, a mad scientist and a bohemian dramatist who each present different approaches and solutions to climate change in South Africa.

Kiara comments: “The creative arts, and theatre in particular, have the most extraordinary way of bringing people together despite their differences and discussing things at a deeper level than development communication. We need to focus on issues of spirituality, issues of emotions, and belief systems. We need to look at the person as a complete and holistic individual–not just as a physical creature that is engaged in economics, if we truly want to transform the injustices of the world.”

I sat down with Kiara for a short interview in order to gain more insight into her creative and transformative work. The interview and a video of the 12-minute play can be viewed at Youtube: [Interview / Performance].

How Climate Change Undermines Human Rights 

I gave a short presentation (April 7^th)about climate change and human rights to the NGO/CSW Taskforce on Women and Climate Change. It was a rather informal gathering of representatives from a variety of NGOs who are working in the field of climate change in various capacities. During the course of my research on the topic of climate change and human rights many interesting facts arouse and I was truly amazed by the clear gendered dimensions of climate change. For instance, I was alarmed to learn that more women than men die during natural disasters because they are not warned, they cannot swim or because they are not allowed to leave the house alone. Following disasters, all too often services and facilities are inadequately equipped to meet the specific needs of women, or are all together unavailable to them. Research shows that heightened levels of physical and sexual violence perpetrated against women occur after natural disasters. Many sources also report that violence and vulnerability to violence is escalating as the affects of climate change force women and girls to take longer and more precarious journeys to collect water and wood.

I really enjoyed researching the topic and presenting my findings to the small group. The vice-president of Solar Cookers International (www.solarcookers.org) was present at the meeting and she is interested in learning more about the Barli Institute  in India and other Baha’i initiated environmental projects. The Baha’i International Community (BIC) has been actively involved in efforts relating to climate change and sustainable development for many years. In addition to participating in various NGO and UN events and discussions, the BIC recently released a statement on climate change: http://bic.org/statements-and-reports/featured/Climate-Change-paper.pdf

As the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) draws closer and closer, there are many new and interesting assignments for the BIC interns.  In addition to participating in an online discussion, we are also researching case studies of community adaptation with a focus on the ethical and moral dimensions of climate change. Each BIC intern has a slightly different interest within the realm of environmental issues (my specific interests are environmental security, conflict and refugees and women and climate change). Discovering what each intern’s interests are and how their work at the BIC is shaping their understandings of these issues will be the focus of my next blog post.

Importance of Climate Ethics Animates Learning Center (Recent workshop at the side events at CSD-17)

Dr. Kaire Mbuende, Namibian Ambassador to the UN and Vice-Chair of the Commission opened a well attended Learning Centre session on the question of climate ethics and their application to the themes of this year’s Commission on Sustainable Development on Monday afternoon.

In his opening remarks, Peter Adriance, of the Bahá’í International Community, highlighted the 2007/8 UNDP Human Development Report, which affirmed that the mitigation of climate change “raises profound moral and ethical questions of our generation.” Faced with evidence that inaction will hurt millions of people, the report asks, “can we justify inaction?” and concludes that “no civilized communityadhering to even the most rudimentary ethical standards would answer that question in the affirmative.”

Adriance also highlighted the Bahá’í International Community’s initial contributions to the theme of climate ethics which affirmed that, the challenge of climate change is not only a technical one but a moral one, and that if we are to forge a coherent ethics for the resolution of the climate change crisis, it is “the principle of the oneness of humankind” that must become the “ruling principle of international life.”

Don Brown of the Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State, a co-sponsor, and Marilyn Averill, an environmental attorney and doctoral student at the University of Colorado, were the main speakers for this session. They were also among the authors of the “White Paper on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change”—a seminal piece which offers a preliminary analysis of eight fundamental ethical issues related to climate change.

Averill explained that ethics are standards or rules of right conduct, which comprise a moral philosophy. Ethics involve questions of fairness, justice, duties and responsibilities. Ethical standards, then, help to determine what is right and what is wrong and when responsibility should attach to human actions that cause harm. To address the question: “Why do we need climate ethics?” Averill noted that ethical dimensions are attached to decisions regarding the allocation of emissions caps; decisions about payment for injuries and adaptation measures; and when actions should be taken. Agreement on ethical standards can help to seek out answers to such questions.

Averill also noted that the term, “common but differentiated,” not only applied to “responsibilities” held by countries, but to their contributions, impacts, and capacities as well. “We all contribute to the problem, but at different levels; we will all be affected, but some are more vulnerable than others; we have different levels of responsibility, again some more than others; and we have different coping capabilities.” This raises numerous ethical questions: “Who or what should be protected? Who are most vulnerable? What rights do they have to protection? Who has duties to protect? Who gets to decide?”

Climate-related ethical issues include matters of international equity (to what degree are people in one country responsible for the welfare of those in another country?); inter-generational equity (to what extent are those alive today responsible for the welfare of future populations?); inter-species responsibilities (what responsibility do humans have to other species?); and stewardship (what duties do humans have to protect nature?) Don Brown brought the focus from the general to the more specific, stressing the
importance of clearly identifying concrete ethical issues embedded in economic and legal arguments. Using an array of maps and images, he highlighted the strong connection between climate change and the Commission themes, outlining ethical issues related to agriculture, land, rural development, drought and desertification.

For the second half of the session, participants worked in small groups to examine six country-specific case studies in order to identify the relevant ethical issues, determine ethically sound actions, and identify responsibilities for diverse actors. Following the exercise, each group presented a summary of the insights gained from the analysis.. While the ethical issues were often complex and difficult, many participants noted that such considerations were essential in finding sustainable solutions.

In the final segment, Don Brown highlighted measures that had been undertaken to increase awareness of the ethical dimensions of climate change and engaged the group in a discussion of strategies to expand those efforts. Several ideas emerged, including the use of the arts and the development of educational curricula to
inspire ethical action.

The video proceedings of these workshops are available on YouTube.

Seizing the Opportunity: Redefining the challenge of climate change (Baha’i International Community Whitepaper on Climate Change)

Once the domain of scientists and negotiators, the discourse on climate change1 has become a core part of informed debates about the future direction of the affairs of humankind. Authoritative assessments that global warming is “unequivocal” and directly linked to human activity2; that it constitutes the “widest-ranging market failure ever seen” 3; and that it represents the “defining human development challenge of the 21st century”4 – have seized the attention of governments and peoples alike.5 Yet the search for solutions to climate change has revealed the limits of traditional technological and policy approaches and has raised difficult questions about justice, equity, responsibility and obligation. As communities and policy-makers worldwide have wrestled with these questions, they have brought us all to the threshold of a tremendous opportunity. It is the opportunity to take the next step in the transition from a state-centered mode of interacting on the world stage to one rooted in the unity which connects us as the inhabitants of one biosphere, the citizens of one world and the members of one human civilization. The nature of this step, its significance and some of the means for its accomplishment are the focus of the Bahá’í International Community’s contribution to forging a path out of the climate change challenge.

Decades of research, advocacy and policy-making have provided a strong scientific basis for action on climate change, have raised public awareness and have provided norms and principles to guide decision-making. Building on this foundation, the governments of the world have embarked on a major negotiating effort aimed at charting the course of cooperative action on climate change.6 The negotiations focus on a shared vision for long-term cooperative action as well as a long-term global goal for emission reductions, which is to be met through mitigation of climate change, adaptation to its impacts and the mobilization of technological and financial resources. The process seeks to pave the way for an agreed outcome at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2009.7 As negotiations proceed to set the rules and establish the mechanisms that will determine how governments assist vulnerable countries and approach this global challenge, they will test the resolve of the international community to address comprehensively and justly the shared threat of climate change.

Yet, in the face of the destructive impacts of climate change – exacerbated by the extremes of wealth and poverty – a need for new approaches centered on the principles of justice and equity is apparent. A dynamic and bourgeoning discourse on the ethical8 dimensions of climate change has brought to the fore the role of ethical inquiry in overcoming some of the most difficult substantive and process-related challenges.9 The fundamental questions it seeks to address include: Who is responsible for the consequences of climate change?; Who should pay for the damages?; How should target levels of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere be determined?; What procedures will ensure fair representation in decision-making?; and, if nations have a responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, how do those responsibilities devolve onto the various units of government, organizations, individuals and non-state actors?10 The challenge before the world community, then, is not only a technical one but a moral one, which calls for the transformation of thoughts and behaviors so as to allow our economic and social structures to extend the benefits of development to all people.

To contribute to this important discourse, we assert that the principle of the oneness of humankind must become the ruling principle of international life. This principle does not seek to undermine national autonomy or suppress cultural or intellectual diversity. Rather, it makes it possible to view the climate change challenge through a new lens – one that perceives humanity as a unified whole, not unlike the cells of the human body, infinitely differentiated in form and function yet united in a common purpose which exceeds that of its component parts. This principle constitutes more than a call for cooperation; it seeks to remold anachronistic and unjust patterns of human interaction in a manner that reflects the relationships that bind us as members of one human race. The earnest consideration of the place of this principle in international relations should not be seen as an abstract exercise; it is precisely this level of analysis that must be undertaken and this level of commitment secured in order to forge a coherent ethic for the resolution of the climate change crisis. In order to progress beyond a world community driven by a largely economic and utilitarian calculus, to one of shared responsibility for the prosperity of all nations, such a principle must take root in the conscience of the individual. In this way, we come to recognize the broader human agenda – which subsumes those of climate change, poverty eradication, gender equality, development, and the like – and seeks to use both human and natural resources in a way that facilitates the progress and well-being of all people.
A response to climate change will require profound changes at the level of the individual, the community and the nations of the world. These will no doubt be informed by continuing progress in the arenas of science, technology, economics and policy. To complement the processes of change already underway, we consider the concrete ways in which the principle of the oneness of humanity could be operationalized at the above-mentioned levels and could serve to build momentum, support and intellectual capacity for more integrated and just approaches to the solution of the challenge before us.

The Individual Level: Engaging children and youth

A fundamental component of resolving the climate change challenge will be the cultivation of values, attitudes and skills that give rise to just and sustainable patterns of human interaction with the environment. The engagement of children and youth will be particularly important as this population will be called upon to exercise leadership and address the dramatic and complex challenges of climate change in the decades to come. It is at a young age that new mindsets and habits can be most effectively cultivated. The important role of education and public awareness has been highlighted in the UNFCCC11 as well as the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), which promotes the integration of “principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning.”12
In practical terms, this means that girls and boys must be afforded access to the same curricula, with priority given to the girl child who will one day assume the role of educating future generations. The curriculum itself must seek to develop in children the capacity to think in terms of systems, processes and relationships rather than in terms of isolated disciplines. Indeed, the problem of climate change has powerfully demonstrated the need for integrated and systemic approaches. Students must also be given the concrete skills to translate their awareness into action. This can be accomplished, in part, through incorporating an element of public service into curricula, thereby helping students to develop the ability to initiate projects, to inspire action, to engage in collective decision-making and to cultivate their sense of dignity and self-worth. Overall, the curriculum should strive to integrate theoretical and practical considerations as well as to link notions of individual progress with service to the broader community.13

The Community Level: Advancing gender equality and encouraging dialogue between science and religion

On the community rests the challenge of providing the setting in which decision-making can occur peacefully and individual capabilities can be channeled through collective action. One of the most pervasive social challenges besetting communities around the world is the marginalization of girls and women – a condition further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Around the world, women are largely responsible for securing food, water and energy for cooking and heating. Scarcity of resources arising from climate change intensifies the woman’s burden and leaves less time to earn an income, attend school or care for the family. Moreover, natural disasters exact a heavier toll on women given their lack of access to information and resources, and, in some cases, their inability to swim, drive or even leave the house alone. It would be a mistake, however, to cast women as the victims or simply as under-resourced members of society; they represent perhaps the greatest source of untapped potential in the global effort to overcome the challenges of climate change. Their responsibilities in families, in communities, as farmers and as stewards of natural resources make them uniquely positioned to develop strategies for adapting to changing environmental conditions. Women’s distinct knowledge and needs complement those of men, and must be duly considered in all arenas of community decision-making. It is in relationship and consultation with one another that the most effective strategies for mitigation and adaptation can be devised.

In light of this reality, the United Nations must give more attention to the gender dimensions of climate change. Neither the principal legal nor scientific framework guiding climate change negotiations – the UNFCCC and the Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – makes reference to gender. To begin to remedy this situation, we call on the United Nations and member states to include a gender dimension in their response to climate change and in their ongoing and future negotiations of climate change agreements. As a starting point, a gender component could be included in national reports to the UNFCCC; the presence of gender experts on UNFCCC delegations would further strengthen the gender analysis. Efforts to give due attention to this critical dimension of climate change, however, cannot be limited to ad hoc measures. Instead, they must be reinforced by efforts to include and raise up the voices of women in all arenas of human endeavor so as to create the social conditions in which the most fruitful collaboration and innovation can take place.14

Given their tremendous capacity to mobilize public opinion and their extensive reach in the most remote communities around the world, religious communities and their leaders bear an inescapable and weighty role in the climate change arena. By many measures, increasing numbers of religious communities are consistently lending their voice and resources to efforts to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change – they are educating their constituencies, providing a scriptural basis for ethical action and leading or participating in efforts at the national and international levels.15 This role, however, must now unfold in the context of an emerging conversation – a rapprochement – between the discourses of science and religion. The time has come for the entrenched dichotomy between these two systems of knowledge to be earnestly reexamined.
Both are needed to mobilize and direct human energies to the resolution of the problem at hand: methods of science facilitate a more objective and systematic approach to problem solving while religion concerns itself with those moral inclinations that motivate action for the common good. In an age yearning for justice and equality, religious doctrines will need to be carefully examined. Those that encourage social exclusion, passivity or inequality between the sexes will fail to engage the peoples of the world while qualities of justice, compassion, trustworthiness, humility and generosity – common to all religious traditions – will be even more urgently needed to forge the patterns of progressive community life.

The National and International Levels: Building foundations for cooperative Action

At a basic level, governments bear the responsibility of adhering to stated commitments and abiding by the rule of law. This level of commitment is essential for the cultivation of trust and relationship-building among nations, particularly as governments embark on the negotiation of a new global climate change agreement. Attention to the integrity of the negotiating process itself represents another important trust-building measure. Negotiations need to ensure that all stakeholders – both industrialized and developing economies representing mitigation and adaptation concerns respectively – are included.

While it is acknowledged that any effective climate change policy needs to be rooted in a global perspective, even this enlargement of the sphere of responsibility has not sufficiently moved governments to act. This perspective must now evolve to reflect the essential connectedness and common fate of humanity that for too long has struggled against a worldview that emphasized sovereignty, ascendancy and competition. Efforts to reconceptualize sovereignty, from an absolute right to a responsibility, signal that a shift in consciousness towards greater degrees of global solidarity is already underway.16 To be sure, the solution to climate change exceeds the capacities and resources of any one nation and requires the full cooperation of all nations, each according to their means.

Governments now need to forge an agreement commensurate with the problem at hand and one which meets the needs of societies most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The agreement needs to put in place the requisite institutional frameworks17 as well as establish international mechanisms capable of mobilizing financial resources and accelerating innovation needed to transition to a low carbon society. The more economically developed nations need to display leadership consistent with their historic responsibility and economic capacity and commit to significant emission reductions. Developing nations, in a manner consistent with their capacities and development aspirations, must contribute through efforts to transition to cleaner development pathways. This is the time for leaders from all spheres of human endeavor to exercise their influence to identify solutions, which make it possible for mankind to address this challenge and, in so doing, chart a sustainable course to global prosperity.

Much has been said about the need for cooperation to solve a climate challenge that no nation or community can solve alone. The principle of the oneness of humankind presented in this statement seeks to move beyond utilitarian notions of cooperation to anchor the aspirations of individuals, communities and nations to those of the progress of humanity. In practical terms, it affirms that individual and national interests are best served in tandem with the progress of the whole. As children, women, men, religious and scientific communities as well as governments and international institutions converge on this reality, we will do more than achieve a collective response to the climate change crisis. We will usher in a new paradigm by means of which we can understand our purpose and responsibilities in an interconnected world; a new standard by which to evaluate human progress; and a mode of governance faithful to the ties that bind us as members of one human race.

End Notes
1 Climate change, as defined by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) refers to “a change in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. It refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or resulting from human activity.” (IPCC, 2007. Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. An Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [Allali, A. Et al. (eds.)] Cambridge University Press: New York.) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines climate change as a “change of climate that is attributed directly orindirectly to human activity and that alters the composition of the global atmosphere.” (United Nations. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. UN Doc. FCCC/INFORMAL/84 GE.05- 62220 (E) 200705. 1992).
2 Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. See note 1.
3 Stern, Nicholas. 2006. The Economics of Climate Change. The Stern Review. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York.
4 UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), 2007. The Human Development Report 2007/2008: Fighting Climate Change, Human Solidarity in a Divided World. Palgrave Macmillan: New York. The report states that the consequences of a 2oC or greater increase in global temperature will include, among others: coastal flooding displacing 180-230 million people; water shortages affecting 1.8 billion people; and will put 220-400 million people at risk of malaria.
5 2007 may be remembered as the year in which the issue of climate change became firmly established on the global agenda. That year: the Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; the UN Security Council held its first debate on the impacts of climate change on peace and security; the UN Secretary-General convened a high-level meeting with heads of state and top officials to build momentum for the December 2007 UN climate change conference, which brought together representatives from over 150 member states to chart the course for a new negotiating process to tackle climate change.
6 At the 2007 United Nations Climate Change Conference, participating nations adopted decisions collectively referred to as the “Bali Road Map,” which established a comprehensive negotiating process toachieve the full implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Road Map also addresses negotiations on further commitments under the Kyoto Protocol after 2012 and sets a deadline for both processes at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen at the end of 2009. (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Conference of the Parties, 13th Session. Report of the Conference of the Parties. UN Doc. FCCC/CP/2007/6/ and Add.1. 14 March 2008.)
7 The conference is organized by the UNFCCC (see note 6) and will be held in Copenhagen, from November 30 - December 11, 2009. The goals of the conference will be to conclude negotiations of a global climate agreement and to set targets for emission reductions for industrialized countries beyond 2012 (when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end). The Kyoto Protocol is an international binding agreement, linked to the UNFCCC, that sets targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the period 2008-2012. (United Nations. Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. 1998.)
8 Ethics refers to the field of philosophical inquiry that examines moral principles, standards of conduct, notions of right and wrong as well as the motives and consequences of human conduct.
9 The UNFCCC (see note 1) began to operationalize the ethical approach to climate change by putting forward principles to guide States’ Parties’ actions to achieve the objective of the Convention. These principles included: attention to the specific needs of developing countries; adoption of precautionary measures and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
10 An analysis of the ethical dimensions of climate change is provided in: Brown, D. et al. 2006. The White Paper on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change. The Collaborative Program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change, Rock Ethics Institute, Penn State University: State College, Pennsylvania.
11 Article 6 of the UNFCCC (see note 1) addresses “Education, Training and Public Awareness” and states that States Parties shall commit to the “the development and implementation of educational and public awareness programmes on climate change and its effects; public access to information on climate change and its effects …”
12 In December 2002, the UN General Assembly resolved to launch the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as the lead agency. The Decade effort seeks to encourage changes in behavior that will create a more sustainable future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations. Education for sustainable development involves learning to: respect, value and preserve the achievements of the past; appreciate the wonders and the peoples of the Earth; live in a world where all people have sufficient food for a healthy and productive life; assess, care for and restore the state of our Planet; create and enjoy a better, safer, more just world; and be caring citizens who exercise their rights and responsibilities locally, nationally and globally. (UN General Assembly, 59th Session. United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. UN Doc. A/Res/59/237. 24 February 2005.)
13 The Bahá’í International Community has strongly promoted the theme of world citizenship as an ethical foundation for sustainable development, with the understanding that only a profound sense of responsibility for the well-being of humanity would mobilize civil society.

The Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change (Report of events at CSD-15)

For one of the first side events of CSD-15, 90 people, some sitting and some standing, packed a room to hear six panellists speak on the ethical dimensions of climate change. Despite media attention, not much has focused on the ethical questions and principles underlying the issue. Tahirih Naylor, the Bahá’í International Community’s UN representative who chaired the event, expressed the Bahá’ís’ interest in “supporting a continuing discourse that will include scientific, policy, and religious perspectives on the ethical dimensions of climate change.”

H.E. Mr. Enele Sopoaga, Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the UN, opened the session, noting that several important climate change reports had come out recently. The message of those reports, he said, was that the future will be catastrophic for all countries if the international community fails to do something urgently. For islands such as his as well as other atoll states: Maldives, Marshall Islands, and Kiribati, scenarios for the future include “total extinction.” Inaction, he said, is contrary to the precautionary principle, agreed to 15 years ago in Rio. Yet action on climate change has been stalled by lack of global leadership, the serious deficit of public awareness, and total absence of moral responsibility. He cited a moral obligation to help Tuvalu, small island states, and LDCs, to rise above the blaming game, political and economic considerations and make climate change a priority comparable to Security Council action on AIDS.

Mr. Om Pradhan, UN Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) noted that the science about climate change was settled; what is lacking is political will. The IPCC reports made it clear who bears responsibility and who will be most affected. The developed countries need to take responsibility with mitigation and assist with national adaptation programs by providing resources, technology, and capacity building for developed countries.

Don Brown, Project Coordinator of the Collaborate Program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change, Rock Ethics Institute, sought to convince the participants that the ethical dimensions of climate change are much more than meets the eye, as developed further in that paper.(See: http://rockethics.psu.edu/climate/edcc-whitepaper.pdf.) He talked about not discussing ethics in an abstract way, but applying ethics and ethical analysis to the policy questions we now face. Looking at climate change from an ethical perspective, he said, will transform the nature of negotiations about responsibility, legal norms, and both soft and hard law. Bringing this reality will help inspire understanding, commitment and action.

Dr. Arthur Dahl, a marine biologist and former Deputy Assistant Director of UNEP, stated that “We are not just talking about climate and energy, we’re talking about the future of civilization.” The climate crisis represents the greatest market failure in the history of the planet. We have to go to the level of values and ethics, including the examining of values underlying the economic system Religion has a role in becoming a source of unity, to acknowledge our common humanity and build a sense of global solidarity. There is a need for education for sustainable development and a more altruistic economics. We need to actively look for sources of unity, with the support of NGOs, that allow us to rise above our narrow interests and develop the trust and ethical foundations to work together, build agreements, and meet the challenges ahead.

Tony Barnston of the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Colombia University, noted that it takes humans years to adjust to ‘inconvenient discoveries’, citing cigarette smoking and prolonged exposure to the sun as two examples. A more urgent change is needed and a far shorter lag time when it comes to stemming greenhouse gas emissions. We need to move quickly to the action step, as the implications of not acting are severe and wide reaching.

Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Fellowship Program Director of GreenFaith stressed that the various religions agree on the moral crisis that faces us. He said that humans have the power to disrupt God’s natural order by violating boundaries set for behaviour. As in the Nazi era, this is an important moment in history. He closed by calling on people to seek out the ethical implications in climate issues, recognizing it as a moral imperative to understand the “meaning of this hour.” On a hopeful note, while many religions speak of great catastrophes, they also speak of a time humanity will be more in balance with the natural environment.

There was a lively discussion after the presentation. Many questions centered on economics, and the panellists clarified that the ethics underlying cost-benefit analysis and market mechanisms need to be examined and questioned. Brown concluded the panellist responses, saying that at the upcoming summit in Bali, countries can no longer grandfather in their behavior. Everything must be morally and ethically justified – we need to emerge from Bali with a morally-based ethical consensus on climate change.

The session concluded with a deeper understanding and renewed commitment to raise the ethical dimensions of climate change in our discussions at the CSD and beyond.

Excitement over this achievement is tempered, however, by the circumstances in which it takes place. Since the inception of the Encyclopedia Project in 1984, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States has provided unfailing encouragement and financial support. In late 2008, however, cost considerations resulting from the world economic crisis led the National Assembly to seek ways to reorganize the project in order to maintain momentum in its online publishing while reducing expenditures. The Encyclopedia Editorial Board was released from service, and the Encyclopedia Project’s two-person staff was immediately halved. After a period of several months spent on preparations for launching the website, the coordinating editor’s tenure as a full-time staff member also ended. The project is currently being restructured on the basis of volunteer service and earmarked contributions to support part-time editorial work and website maintenance and development, as resources permit.

The members of the Encyclopedia Editorial Board, many of whom have served for all or much of the life of the Project, deserve special thanks. They are: Larry Bucknell, Betty J. Fisher, Firuz Kazemzadeh, Todd Lawson, Heshmat Moayyad, Gayle Morrison, Sholeh Quinn, Martha L. Schweitz, Robert H. Stockman, and Will C. van den Hoonaard. The Project’s administrative assistant for over ten years, Sharon Bakula, also merits gratitude for her hard work and steadfastness. The Encyclopedia Project owes a great debt of gratitude to former general editors John Walbridge and Moojan Momen and sociology editor Will C. van den Hoonaard and their assistants; to former staff members in Evanston; to all contributors; and to the well-wishers who have lent (and continue to lend) material and moral support to this endeavor.

The Encyclopedia Project welcomes inquiries, comments, and suggestions, which may be sent to: encyclopedia@usbnc.org. Gayle Morrison, Coordinating Editor, Bahá’í Encyclopedia Project.

Meanwhile at the Center for Baha’i Studies in Acuto, Italy June 28 through July 1, the following presentations are scheduled: Amin Egea, A review of some aspects of the Tablet of Wisdom (Lawh-i-Hikmat); Armin Eschraghi, Some thoughts on Bahá’u’llah’s last Major work: Epistle to Aqa Najafi; Farshid Kazemi, Land of Zaphron: A descriptive Study and Early Ismailite Philosophy and the Bábi/Bahá’í Religions; Nadia Khazraee, Reality Concealed Behind the Veil; Stephen Lambden; Second “Manuchehr Salmanpour Memorial Lecture”: Names and Attributes of God, Soul, Spirit and Mind from Antiquity to Bahá’í Perspective; Moojan Momen, The Báb’s Commentary on the Hadith of Kumail: What is Reality?; Steven Phelps, Beyond Athens and Jerusalem: Re-visioning the science-religion conflict; Sholeh Quinn, An introductory review of Bahá’u’llah’s Lawh-i-Qina’; Mahyad Rahnamaie, A Mathematical Model to Investigate Non-Material Realities; Moshe Sharon. What is behind the words? The earliest writings of Bahá’u'llah; Vargha Taefi, Consensus Decision-Making: Bahá’i Perspective; Iskander Tinto, Gems of Divine Mysteries and its relationship with the Seven Valleys and the Kitáb-i-Iqán.; Ramin Vasli, Faith and Reason in “Some Answered Questions” and The new concept of God in “Some Answered Questions”; Farhan Yazdani, Beyond the Concept of Evil: A Methodology for Multidisciplinary and Multicultural Ethical Decision-Making. Details concernong the Persian language conference being held 3-9 July are available

Further conferences are planned in Tambach, Germany and Davis, Michigan later in 2009. The proceedings of these conferences are published in the series: Lights of Irfan (English) and Safiniy-i-Irfan (Persian).

The Rabbani Trust is a Baha’i inspired NGO dedicated to disbursing funds for “charitable, religious, literary and educational purposes, to promote the spiritual and social well being of the entire human race” and among its activities sponsors the annual Baha’i Conference on Social and Economic Development.  This year the conference theme is “Baha’i-inspired Development and the Growth Process: Partners in Transforming Society“and the conference is scheduled for December 19-22, 2009 in Orlando Florida.

One of the agencies which has been endeavouring to document the unfolding events in Iran is the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center in New Haven Connecticut. This organisation has produced a new report in addition to two substantial prior reports. This legal report complements two earlier IHRDC publications documenting the Islamic Republic’s state-sponsored campaign of persecution against its Bahá’ís citizens: A Faith Denied The Persecution of the Bahá’ís of Iran (2006) and Community Under Siege: The Ordeal of the Bahá’ís of Shiraz . The two prior reports meticulously present facts surrounding the targeting, unlawful arrest, prolonged detention, torture and summary execution of nearly 207 Bahá’ís since 1979. The first report provides an overview of the abuses of the Bahá’ís in Iran both historically and since the founding of the Islamic Republic. The second report is an in-depth case study of one particularly notorious instance of persecution. The instant companion for the earlier reports provides a brief legal analysis of the abuses documented therein, and argues that the acts committed against Iran’s Bahá’ís conflict with the principles of common humanity under international criminal law and amount to crimes against humanity. Individual Iranian officials may be subject to liability, now or in the future, for crimes against humanity in various courts.  The new report,  Crimes Against Humanity: The Islamic Republic’s Attacks on the Bahá’ís (2008) is available online from the IHRDC.

The Human Rights Watch organisation recently issued its World Report 2009. This almanac of the status of human rights in nation-states across the globe was issued on January 14, 2009. The Iran section of the report includes reference to the Baha’i situation. The United Nations Secretary General, reported on the general human rights situation in Iran to the General Assembly, Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran (October 2008), which brought to attention, once again, the long-standing issues affecting the Baha’is of Iran.

Document requirement Papers should be submitted in Microsoft Word format From 20-30,000 symbols (approx 10-15 pages) including footnotes, and literature cited Times New Roman, 14 point size, line spacing 1.5 References shown by square brackets, showing sequential number of the referenced literature, followed by a comma and the page number of the reference, such as: [3, p.16]; Literature cited organized alphabetically by author and number sequentially, located at the end of the text. Note: The organizing committee reserves the right to reject any publication if it does not conform to the format or content requirements. A compilation of the conference proceedings is planned for publication. All questions concerning the conference can be addressed to: abulafiy@i.ua +38050-617-61-39 +38093-69233-42 Vitaliy Hromets – Vice-President of YARR, Vice-Director of IPSE.

Baharieh Rouhani Ma’ani is developing a name as a writer to watch. Here is the publisher’s description: Women of the Middle East in the 19th century are generally absent from the pages of history. Even their names are not recorded. They have no voice. They are invisible. The women closest to the twin Manifestations, the Báb and Bahá’u'lláh, are especially enigmatic. What were they like as children? What was it like to live in the family of the Manifestation of God? What did they think about the new Revelations from God? How did they respond to the suffering and persecution that came upon them? So little is known. Baharieh Ma‘ani decided to rectify this. Her task was formidable. There is little published about these women and documents are rare. Over two and half decades she worked to gather all the known information about the women whose lives were intertwined with those of the Manifestations of God for this age ־ mothers, wives, sisters, daughters. Looking beyond published sources, she was given permission by the Universal House of Justice to consult original documents in the Bahá’í International Archives and to make provisional translations of more than 50 Tablets, letters, memoirs and papers not previously published in English, many never before published in any language. The result is an engaging and readable book that provides a unique and intriguing insight into the lives and circumstances of the women who played such important yet unseen roles in shaping the early history of the Bábí and Bahá’í religions. Mrs Ma‘ani has made the invisible visible. Expected in Feb 2009, Hardcover, 448 pages, price yet to be announced. The book Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees is published by George Ronald

Meanwhile from Canada comes a full length biography, titled Take My Love to the Friends The Story of Laura R. Davis, according to the publisher, Chestnut Park Press,  this biography describes her part in establishing the Bahá’í Faith in Toronto and in Canada.  Some signal early events are told for the first time: Martha Root laying the foundation of the Faith in Toronto in 1919, Jenáb-i-Fádil, a Persian scholar, and Canadian artist Marion Jack making consolidating visits in the 1920s and, in 1939, Americans Mabel and Howard Colby Ives setting the keystone in the edifice of the Faith in Toronto. Events of national significance are reflected in Laura’s participation in the teaching committees of the 1940s, her election to the first National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Canada in 1948, and her involvement with young participants of the counterculture of the late 1960s. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in December, 1954 renewed and strengthened Laura’s dedication to the Cause of Bahá’u'lláh with Shoghi Effendi’s parting words, “take my love to the friends”, becoming the raison d’être of the rest of her life. Laura intuitively understood Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching that “deeds, not words,” should be our “adorning”. She hosted weekly firesides in her home for forty years and made hundreds of travelling teaching trips in Canada and abroad. Blind to social status or colour, she enriched countless lives through her kindness and love. And, decades before service in outside organizations was a common practice among Bahá’ís, Laura volunteered in social, cultural, and humanitarian organizations. All these dimensions, as well as her humour, sense of adventure and perseverance, make Laura a role model for present and future generations of Canadians. The book is to be published in March 2009.

Foreign Office Minister Lord Mark Malloch Brown, who describes the report as an ‘important contribution to the debate, and an important part of ensuring that improving Iran’s human rights record stays firmly on the agenda worldwide’ said: “Iran consistently fails to meet the international commitments that it is signed up to. It ignores its own laws and terms of its own constitution such as arbitrary arrest and the denial of due process. And it is increasingly – and worryingly – using vague, national security-related charges such as ‘acting against state security’ and ‘propaganda against the system’ against individuals who are exercising their right to peaceful protest.” “The international community must take responsibility to lobby the Iranian government and support those within Iran who are bravely fighting for their human rights.” Foreign Policy Director Stephen Twigg said: ‘This report challenges Iran to fulfil its obligations to its own citizens under international law and its constitution. We must support the tireless work of Iranian human rights activists working to bring change in their own country and make sure their struggle is not overlooked as the international community focuses on the nuclear issue.’

Though known to specialists, Comte de Gobineau’s vital if idiosyncratic contribution to Orientalism has only been accessible to the English reader through secondary sources. Especially important for its portrayal of an esoteric Sufi sect like the Ahl-i Haqq, and its vivid narrative of the Babi episode in Persia, Gobineau’s work impacted significantly on European intelligentsia, including Ernest Renan, Matthew Arnold, Lord Curzon, and the Orientalist Edward Granville Browne. Daniel O’Donoghue’s brilliant translation now makes available sizeable extracts from Gobineau’s two most important writings on the East: Three Years in Asia and Religions and Philosophies of Central Asia. Geoffrey Nash’s comprehensive introduction and notes contextualise Gobineau’s work in the light of contemporary scholarship, as well as assessing its impact on nineteenth century Orientalists and modern Iranians, and its relevance to debates around Islam and modernity that are still alive today. Series: Culture and Civilization in the Middle East . This book provides an introduction to de Gobineau’s writings on the Middle East and extensive translations of his most important work. Table of Contents Introductory Essay Part 1: Three Years in Asia 1. The Nation 2. Religion 3. The Sufis 4. The Condition of Individuals 5. Characters, Social Relations 6. Probable Results of Relations Between Europe and Asia Part 2: Religions and Philosophies of Central Asia 1. Religious and Moral Character of Asiatics 2. Persian Islamism 3. Faith of the Arabs, Origin and development of Shi’ism 4. Beginnings of Babism 5. Development of Babism 6. Battles and Successes of The Babis in Mazandaran 7. Fall of the Castle of Shaykh Tabarsi, Trouble in Zanjan 8. Insurrection in Zanjan, Captivity and Death of the Bab 9. Attempt on the King’s Life Notes Bibliography . Routledge. Hardback. ISBN-13: 978-0415440196

This book, however, argues against the assumption that both represent two extremely opposite expressions of Islamic religiosity. It shows that both were influenced by similar intellectual and religious traditions of Islam and that both participated in the same discussions on the reform of Islam in the nineteenth century. Islam and the Baha’i Faith provides new insights into the Islamic back¬ground of the Baha’i Faith and into ‘Abduh’s own association with so-called heretical movements in Islam. This book is a valuable resource to anyone interested in the Baha’i Faith and its Islamic roots and in the intellectual history of modern Islam.

The book, Islam and the Baha’i Faith: A comparative study of Muhummad Abduh and ‘Abdu’l-Baha Abbas is published by Routledge in the Series: Culture and Civilization in the Middle East (General Editor: Ian Netton). Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. The Formative Years: Mysticism and Millenarianism 3. Into Modernity 4. Succession and Renewal 5. Charisma Routinized 6. Creating Orthodoxy: The View of Posterity Epilogue Bibliography. Oliver Scharbrodt is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Western Kentucky University, USA. His research interests lie in the study of modern Islam and of Iranian Shiism and Sufism.