Guinness, Climate Change and Peace
Word on the street (or, really, from British Consulate) is that British royalty and political leadership have bee
n interested in the US faith-based initiatives on climate change. Under the auspices of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, the Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical communities have come together to advocate for the health of our shared planet and the poorest among us who will be most affected. Consequently, representatives from the different communities of faith (including someone from Presbyterians for Restoring Creation) were asked to share our experiences in interfaith programming and advocacy with religious, communal and political leaders of Belfast, Northern Ireland as part of a US Interfaith Climate Change Delegation last week.
In the United States, we use the strength of a coalition of religious voices to make a powerful unified statement on Capitol Hill. In Belfast, it is not only rare for the Catholic and Protestant communities to advocate together for a cause – it is nearly unheard of; these communities have been fighting to the death over Irish vs. British alliance in a thirty-plus year conflict called “the Troubles.” The hope of the British Consulate was that uniting on climate change could be a catalyst for greater peace.
Though it was difficult to look beyond the fear and anger that remains in the divided communities, our mission was clear and our language strong. As religious communities, we have obligations to our neighbors, the poorest among us and generations yet to come. This is a mandate we all share and may inspire dialogue and joint action.
How a people can move fully beyond the terror of the Troubles and into a place of cross-community environmental efforts will not be easy. Nonetheless, neither the memory of terror nor the issues of climate change will simply disappear. Both require great effort and compromise. I hope that we, the delegates, enabled new conversations and connections and empowered the current efforts of the grassroots movement.
Some interesting links:
Northern Ireland Environmental Link
The Christian International Aid organizations are focusing on Climate Change and its impact on the World's Poor this Lenten season - fantastic and powerful materials:
Trocaire
TearFund's Carbon Fast
I'd love to hear more about what you saw there in terms of whether congregations are addressing care of Creation. Did you sense whether the Pope's and Vatican's recent environmental actions have translated at all to the parish level?
I'm particularly interested because my sister married an Irishman and lives on the Connemara coast. I did a seminar there on sustainability and the Natural Step Framework and was delighted to see some major Irish environmental advances but I'm wondering where things are now.
Sustainably,
Terry Gips
Center for Judaism and Sustainability of the Alliance for Sustainability
In the Hillel Center at the University of Minnesota
1521 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 (Comment this)
Love,
a huge Guinness fan
aka Elisha (Comment this)
In fact, the intersection of religion and the environment provides a critical opportunity for change in many areas of the world where religion is the center of life. I would imagine that Northern Ireland's environmental record is lagging behind that of the Republic of Ireland, which can ultimately be traced back to the religious conflict there.
What is particularly interesting about this part of the world is that the primary cause of the conflict truly is religous based differences. This is in stark contrast to the Middle East where the issue is arguably more complex with driving forces far beyond religion.
I think the idea of uniting these to factions over global climate change is awesome AND logical. You rock!
-Adam (Comment this)
And by the way, wasn't there discussion on whether Harp or Guiness should be consumed???????????
Ed
(Comment this)
Interestingly, there was little talk about the Vatican's recent decisions regarding the environment. The local parishes were connected and guided by the Bishops and Archbishops who have recently published very powerful language on the religious obligation of Earth stewardship/Creation care. In those documents, the Pope was referenced.
The local parishes seem to be inspired to action by a motivated lay person or clergy. At the moment, there is no larger, unifying body that connects active churches, but hopefully something like that is on the way. (Comment this)
On a personal note - I tried both the Harp and Guinness... but greatly preferred the latter. I also tried a black & tan (a combination of the two), but found the pure guinness to be the best.
In terms of the initiatives, there was a great emphasis on working together. First, the ultimate goal was for the Catholic/Nationalist and Protestant/Unionist communities to join forces and engage the issue of climate change. There are two ways for that to happen - local, grassroots initiatives that bring people on the ground together to learn and act. The second is through advocacy, a tool that can change legislation that will impact how Northern Ireland is run (and pollutes). As fractured as the people of Northern Ireland are, all acknowledged the need for strong climate change legislation and action.
Lastly, the members of the delegation hope to continue the conversations and foster the relationships that were started abroad. On a practical level, we have already begun to share resources and programs. (Comment this)
believe in the future- back to nature
Suzie (Comment this)
I am thrilled that we finally posted something that you could connect to, and I hope that continues. Your life story (or at least your short version here) is wonderful and admirable. I recommend that you check out Adamah (link:http://isabellafreedman.org/if.php?pagename=adamah/adamah_intro) It is a great organization that connects Judaism and sustainable farming. I hope that some wonderful connections can be made. (Comment this)