( Nov.04,2009): The world’s religions have a crucial role to play in the global fight against climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday, characterizing the battle with global warming as a “moral” issue.
With the climate change conference in the Danish capital of Copenhagen, where nations are expected to wrap up talks on an ambitious new agreement just over one month away, “it is a pivotal moment for our world,” Ban said at a gathering of secular and religious leaders at Windsor Castle in London. ‘Green’ growth can enhance efforts to tackle global poverty and improve food, water and energy security, he stressed. “We can lay a foundation for peace and security for generations to come,” the Secretary-General said at the event, hosted by Prince Philip. Because the issue of climate change is inter-generational and moral, “this is why the voices, the deeds and the teachings of the world’s faith groups are so vitally important,” he emphasized.
Any deal reached in Copenhagen must be “comprehensive, equitable and ambitious,”Ban said, urging faith communities to help communicate the message that action must be taken urgently. The potential impact of faith communities, he said, is “enormous” because they have the ability to set an example for the lifestyles of billions of people and reach millions of young people through education. “You can and do inspire people to change,” the Secretary-General said. “Your practical commitments can encourage political leaders to act more courageously in protecting people and the planet,” Ban added.

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