Interfaith Youth in East Africa gear up for Climate Action

A youth-led interfaith environmental movement is rippling across Africa, as young people througout the continent gather online to build a network for climate advocacy, to discuss new ideas, and to generate recommended best practices for the recovery of the planet. “Biodiversity: Everything Is Connected” addresses humanity’s role in ecosystems and species, water and health, medical discoveries, economic development, and adaptive responses to new environmental challenges.

Advanced by the African Council of Religious Leaders – Religions for Peace (ACRL-RfP), this call to action by interfaith youth in Africa focuses on one of the five strategic priorities laid out at the August 2019 Religions for Peace10th World Assembly in Lindau Germany—namely, sustainable and integral human development in protecting the Earth.

“Laudato Si Generation Webinar Exhibition,” a recent webinaire hosted by the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, specifically invited interfaith youth across Africa to witness and learn from the various climate dialogues. This exhibition was in partnership with Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation Franciscans Africa, UNEP Faith4Earth, the Global Catholic Climate Movement, and the Interfaith Public Health Network. It also celebrated the 5th anniversary of Laudato Si and World Environmental Day on 5 June 2020.

Ethical Guidance: Religion already urges us to live humbly and consume less resources i.e. clothing and food. Faith organizations can help educate communities on how to live responsibly for the planet.

Policy Dialogue: The “Faith for Earth Initiative” is a campaign that implements sustainable goal development through faith-based organizations. It is a platform for policy dialogue and decision-making.

Clean Energy: Forty-two faith organizations announced their co-operation for cleaner energy. Some churches and temples are already set up for solar energy, and a large portion of schools run by faith-based organizations are moving to decrease their use of fossil fuels.

Youth Leadership: Young people are not the future but the present. While they are already leading the way and making change, most youth work is volunteer. Their voices need to be elevated and supported by interfaith leadership.

Covid-19: With the current pandemic, we are staying at home and reducing our carbon emissions. We need to encourage and advocate for a new way of life, building better habits and structures for a sustainable future.

Animal-Human Relationships: The majority of pandemics are the result of an imbalance between humans and animals. We need a green economy and a socio-economic development plan that es-establishes the harmony between people and animals.

Intergenerational Cooperation: We need to develop an inter-generational plan for climate justice. The vibrant youth movement is rising globally and we need to reflect on what kind of world are we leaving to future generations.