PoWR, Climate Change, and Disaster Response

I attended the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions last August. As a member of the press corps, I interviewed presenters and people representing their organizations. I was particularly interested in Indigenous Peoples and Climate Action. One focus of Climate Action is Disaster Response Services. I have served with the American Red Cross Disaster Services and have responded to flooding, wildfires, tornadoes, and the September 11 attacks. My contributions are miniscule compared to my colleagues. They do however give me an appreciation for all those volunteers and first responders who do respond to disasters.
 
Climate change has been associated with an increase in natural disasters and an increase in severity of those disasters. Climate change is also associated with increased international conflicts. Struggles for water, arable land, and crops are all increasing stress in populations and setting the stage for wars over resources and land. Starvation, drought, and conflict are also contributing to increased refugee and internally displaced peoples. I have served with Internally Displaced Peoples camps in Kurdistan with ADRA, I have also served with Syrian American Medical Society in Jordan at refugee camps and clinics.  This work is dangerous, demanding, and necessary. So, I was pleased to see the many faith communities responding to disasters. The interviews in the video are simply a sampling of the efforts being made.
 
I am familiar with several Disaster Response Organizations. They include the American Red Cross and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, The Salvation Army, Southern Baptist Relief Services, Mennonite Disaster Service, and Sikh Aid and Khalsa Aid. I know there are relief organizations representing most religions of the world.
 
The 2023 PoWR was opened by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. His support for the Amazon Summit reflected the urgency of responding to the existential threat of climate change. Dr. Jane Goodall  
virtually addressed the Parliament. Her message was one of hope. She told us, we humans have made this mess and if we choose, we can fix it.
 
The Parliament had a designated space referred to as The Green Village. This was a place for environmentalists, activists, and agencies to meet and informally share information. This included an informal presentation by religious delegates to the previous United Nation's Conference of Parties or COPS.
 
The first person I interviewed set the stage for the rest of the day. Doctor Raj Devasigamani talked about The Global Ethic. The Global Ethic is a declaration of the Parliament of the World’s Religions stating the universal values and principles shared by the world’s religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions. The 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights appeared inadequate to address faith and individuals in their interactions with one another. The Parliament of the World’s Religions created the Global Ethics, under the supervision of theologian Hans Kung and presented it to the Parliament assembly in 1993. Doctor Raj Devasigamani introduced us to the document and the impact it has had on interfaith cooperation.
 
Members of both the Islamic Relief USA and the New York Interfaith Disaster Services spoke on the importance of inclusion and cooperation to address disaster needs. The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, an international Buddhist organization headquartered in Taiwan was very active. They had a presentation table that educated youth on the importance of vegetables and veganism to the environment. They also had a booth that spotlighted recycled plastics that provided housing and clothing for victims of disasters. Finally, they invited us to a meditation service which highlighted the need for balance in our lives.
 
The video ends with a song at the Sacred Music Night. It is Dennis Werner and children of many faiths singing We are All Beads on One String. The song addressed why we need to support one another in these challenging times.

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