Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD)

Need Statement

Human-caused global climate change presents a significant challenge for humanity to alter its behavior to avert potentially catastrophic impacts. The drought and fires in Israel underscore its particular vulnerability to climate change. The political stalemate in acting on climate change underscores the need for action through other levers in society. Billions of people practice one of the world’s major religious, and global religious leaders have significant influence on many of these people. To date global religious leaders have yet to make a joint statement on the religious imperative for climate change action, or effectively mobilize their followers to take action to curb climate change.

In addition, coexistence in the Holy Land continues to elude Jews and Arabs. The environment exists as an area of joint concern and thus contains tremendous potential to spur goodwill and peacebuilding in the Holy Land through interfaith environmental cooperation.

Goals:

• Promote the articulation of a common religious vision for sustainable development.
• Create a multiplier effect for global action on climate change by leveraging the moral authority of religious leaders in the Holy Land
• Facilitate Christians, Muslims, and Jews finding common cause through shared religious teachings on environmental stewardship

• Galvanize global religious leaders to mobilize the worldwide religious public and political leaders to curb climate change

Project Information

The Holy Land Climate Change Declaration Project
This project has successfully brought together religious leaders in the Holy Land to endorse a joint statement on climate change. In April, 2011, the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land (CRIHL), which represents the high religious authorities of the Holy Land, endorsed the Declaration. The Declaration articulates a religious call for action to address climate change. It works with Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious leaders in one location—the Holy Land—although its projected impact will reach far beyond. A signing and press event in Jerusalem is scheduled for July 25th, 2011.

The Sustainability Project for Emerging Seminary Students
The Project brings together Muslim, Christian, and Jewish seminary students from the Jerusalem area for a series of ten interactive seminars on human coexistence and environmental sustainability. The Project aims to cultivate a cadre of emerging religious leaders studying in and near Jerusalem who are not only informed about the sustainability challenges we confront, but also steeped in religious teachings that can address them. Some of the clergy will leave Jerusalem upon completion of their studies for positions in North and South America and Europe. Upon successful implementation of this Jerusalem pilot, the program could be replicated in the Galilee region of Israel as well as in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles—all locations in which Muslim, Christian, and Jewish seminary students study.