On 18 November – days before the world’s most powerful leaders meet at the G20 meeting – people of faith around the world are ringing bells, sounding chimes and gongs, sounding the Azan, issuing a public call to prayer for a just, green recovery from COVID-19.
Two things will be happening that day:
Global multi-faith statement on the climate
The GreenFaith International (GFI) Network will release a statement, signed by high-profile faith leaders of every possible faith calling for a recovery from COVID which will help create a more just world order while tackling the climate crisis.
Once released, we will invite tens of thousands of religious communities and individual people of faith and spirit to sign on as well. GFI will then call for a “Year of Action” towards COP26, pressing urgently at the national and international levels for a compassionate, just response to COVID-19 and the climate emergency.
Places of worship worldwide call for climate justice
In support of the statement and to draw attention to it, places of worship around the world are being asked to ‘sound the alarm’ for the climate and call for climate justice as we try to get our economies going in the wake of COVID.
Each place of worship will choose its own way to do this: by ringing its bells, by sounding a note on the shofar, calling the Azan, by chanting and by meditating. Just as long as make a noise – or even some thunderous silence! We each have our own traditions, but we will be united in one clear message.
Every place of worship on Earth is invited to join in. Households of people of faith can join in too.
Please hold your action at 12 noon at your local time on November 18 if possible.
If that time doesn’t suit you, no problem. Holding it at any time on November 18th will be fine.
Why November 18?
We will do this at a vital moment: the lead-up to the G20 meeting which will be held on November 21 and 22. At this meeting, finance ministers and leaders from the 20 largest economies will make historic economic decisions in their response to COVID19 that could either lock in positive climate action through massive investment in clean energy or lock in catastrophic climate breakdown by investing in yet more coal, oil and gas.
Who is involved?
A global, multi-faith coalition called GreenFaith International is organising thousands of faith communities to take part in this global day of action. This action is being held in at least 14 countries.So your local actions as part of this will be part of something huge.
These two combined actions will form the basis of the public launch of a new international multi-faith network for climate action called GreenFaith International.
