Ummah for Earth unites Muslim faith groups, including Greenpeace MENA at COP28
Ummah for Earth was founded by Greenpeace and several other activist groups, with the goal to empower Muslim communities who are facing environmental crises. These are faith-based groups who want to solve climate change as well. They are present at COP28 asking for climate remediation using faith-based tools.
The Ummah for Earth Alliance can be found at the Faith Pavilion, along with people like eco-rabbi Yonatan Neril who wrote the Eco-Bible.
The Ummah for Earth Alliance created in 2020 was an initiative led by (created) Greenpeace MENA and other allies. The group now includes 30+ organizations and individuals.
“Our presence will serve to emphasize Muslim and interfaith voices coming from some of the most climate-impacted communities,” the group says in a statement.
They want COP28 to start a fast and fair fossil fuel phase-out, and be a space for initiating protection for climate vulnerable communities: “My hope is that COP 28 will achieve a new momentum to act more passionately and from the heart to affect the change we need”, said Husna Ahmad, the CEO of Global One, a member of Umma for Earth.
“As for the faith leaders present there, I invite them to think about humanity through the eyes of a child who has lost everything and is a climate refugee due to the greed, want and injustice of historical polluters, putting aside their own bias and working together for this child and all humanity”.
Umma for Earth members writes out its demands with The Interfaith Statement for COP28 that calls for transformative policies and action to maintain global temperatures within 1.5 degrees Celsius. (We’ve already hit 2 degrees twice in November). They aspire to see a fair implementation for the Loss and Damage Fund while fulfilling climate finance promises to the countries of the Global South following a human rights-centered approach.
Several countries announced their participating in the Loss and Damage fund, as a means to financially support lower-income countries that may be hardest hit from the ravages of climate change.
“Allah has created the universe in cosmic balance (al-Mizan) with all its diversity, richness, vitality and inextricable interdependent mutuality. All creations are Sacred signs of God,” said Imam Saffet Catovic, who comes as an individual from Justice for All.
Catovic has worked in New York City and New Jersey Muslim communities on interfaith environmental justice. He began his faith-based activism in 2009 with Green Faith, the leading interfaith organization on environmental activism and education. He also worked on the Green Ramadan Initiative, a mosque-based project across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania aimed at modifying environmentally related behaviors during Ramadan, i.e., local procurement of food, community-supported agriculture, reducing water in ritual washing and consumption, and “leftars” (distributing iftar, Ramadan fastbreak, leftovers to soup kitchens).
“Continued investment in the fossil fuel industry is physically destroying the Signs of God and polluting Earth, thereby depriving us and future generations of a safe climate. The time to end the fossil fuel era and safeguard the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is now! At COP 28 we need all nations to take bold action by significantly increasing their ambition both in terms of NDC CO2 reduction targets and moving up the deadlines for achieving them,” Catovic continued.
“Nations of the world must be transparent and accountable in this process, detailing the specific plans with time bound milestones as to how they will achieve a carbon free – renewable energy future. Since the historic Paris accord promises have been made, but not kept.
“Nations need to heed the call of global faith communities, and civil society organizations and associations as well as many cities and towns across the globe and sign unto and implement the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation treaty as a compliment to the Paris accords”.
Check out The Ummah for Earth alliance demands for Faith leaders at COP28.
Interested in how Islam intersects with the planet’s well-being? Join Green Muslims in DC on Dec. 7 for a Zoom call on Islam and the Environment. You can also read our series of articles about and by the Green Sheikh himself featured here on Green Prophet.
Want to join Umma4Earth? Click here
