Healing the Earth, Healing Ourselves faith summit held at Friends House
More than 150 people of diverse faiths gathered in London on Sunday, 23 February, to discuss how to work together to protect people and planet.
The climate summit was organised by Faith for the Climate, Quakers in Britain and Christian Climate Action and hosted by Quakers in Britain at their central offices, Friends House.
Through panels, workshops, presentations, meditation and conversations, participants explored examples of local climate action, shared challenges in political engagement and discussed the power of interfaith collaboration.
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The summit allowed relationships to flourish, which is at the heart of real change
- Rosh Lal, Faith for the Climate
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They also shared spiritual practices by holding communal meals (the practice of langar in the Sikh community) and witnessing devotional music and dance (the Sufi practice of sama).
Participants included Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Baha'is, Brahma Kumaris, Sikhs, and members of the Yoko Forum.
The summit marks the latest in a series of collaborations between Faith for the Climate and Quakers in Britain, who first started working together in 2018.
The two organisations co-chair campaigning and advocacy work in the Faith for the Climate Network focusing on a fast, fair phase-out of fossil fuels and making big polluters pay for climate-induced loss and damage.
The summit also marked a new partnership with Christian Climate Action, who have an active network of Christians supporting each other in acts of public witness, nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to urge change.
Rebecca WalkerWoo, climate justice lead at Quakers in Britain, emphasised the power of interfaith collaboration.
She said: “Quakers believe in the equality of all people, and when we meet other faiths and discuss climate action, we see the breadth of faith beliefs that lead us to act on injustice.
“It felt important to focus on sharing our spiritual practices as a source of nourishment and connection in these challenging times."
Rosh Lal, movement builder for Faith for the Climate, said: “Building a movement means creating spaces where we truly see each other.
“The summit allowed relationships to flourish, which is at the heart of real change."