Faith Communities Make Noise For Climate

More than one hundred Australian faith communities will ‘sound the alarm’ for the climate as part of a major global multi faith Day of Action on Thursday 11 March at 11am. 

Churches will ring bells, Rabbis will sound the shofar, Imams will call the Azan, and other groups are holding silent vigils to draw attention to a series of demands of Prime Minister Scott Morrison for climate justice. 

The global Day of Action is in support of a “Sacred People, Sacred Earth” statement, signed by prominent religious leaders, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the Vatican’s ecology and justice spokesperson, Cardinal Turkson, and thousands of everyday people from a range of faiths.

Bishop Philip Huggins is the President of the National Council of Churches in Australia.

“We all need to be imaginative and generous together now to prevent a worsening climate emergency,” he said.

“Our Federal Government has a crucial leadership role both in our nation and as good neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region.

“The transition to net-zero requires we make a bold Australian contribution to COP26, as is expected by the Paris Agreement. It means coordinating Regional Industry Plans so that workers in fossil fuel industries can transition to durable and clean energy employment.”

“We have the innovative expertise to ensure our economy flourishes and our climate is safe for this and future generations.”

In Australia, the lead organisation is the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC), which is part of GreenFaith International. 

Sound the Alarm events will generally be held at 11 am local time on Thursday 11 March. Details are shown on this map.