UAE Invites Faith Leaders for Help to Combat “Climate Change Ignorance”
#COP28 :how faith and science can be combined to engage religious communities climate action?
UAE to host summit discussing how faith and science can be combined to engage religious communities climate action
Dubai: The Muslim Council of Elders of UAE has invited faith leaders from around the world for a global summit being held in Abu Dhabi on November 6 and 7 in the lead-up to Cop28 to highlight the crucial role the world’s religions can play in the fight against climate change, a global emergency affecting lives and livelihoods.
“As our world inches closer to irreversible climate damage that can only be addressed through collective effort, the preliminary summit of religious leaders for Cop28 comes at a critical moment,” said Mohamed Abdelsalam, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Elders.
The council and UNEP will co-host a faith pavilion at Cop28.
The gathering of religious leader will be held under the patronage of President Sheikh Mohamed, from November 6 to 7 – a few weeks before the climate conference takes centre stage.
The Muslim Council of Elders in partnership with the Cop28 Presidency, the UN Environment Programme and the Catholic Church will organize the event, local media reported on Wednesday.
A venue for the meeting has not been announced.
Sources told media that senior representatives of the world’s major religions along with academics and environmental experts will discuss the ethical duty of faith leaders to address the climate crisis of the planet earth.
Moreover, the event will also explore how faith and science can be combined to engage communities in meaningful action.
Also, Mohamed Abdelsalam underlined the need to combat “climate change ignorance” and added that “raising awareness of environmental issues have become imperative”.
“Inclusion is the foundation of the Cop28 Presidency,” said Majid Al Suwaidi, director general of Cop28.
“Faith-based communities and organisations play a crucial role in helping the world address climate change. To highlight this, Cop28 will be the first Cop to host a pavilion dedicated to the engagement of faith communities.
“Our goal is to provide a global stage for fostering religious engagement and interfaith dialogue with the aim of inspiring ambitious goals and concrete actions to address the climate crisis.”
Cop28 will be held at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12.
More than 70,000 participants – including heads of state, government officials, industry leaders and climate experts – will come to the UAE to help deliver a vital blueprint for action to safeguard the planet.
Earlier, UAE has launched numerous initiatives to combat climate crisis including announcement of $4.5bn finance initiative for clean energy projects in Africa.
The world must ensure that climate finance is more “available, affordable, and accessible” to all developing countries, including those in Africa, Cop28 President-designate Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Kenya’s President William Ruto and African Union Commission chairman Moussa Mahamat said in a joint statement, released at the Africa Climate Summit concluded in Nairobi on Monday.
By: M.A
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