Europe Regional Workshop

Faith for Our Planet hosted its second workshop on the 28th of November 2022, in London at Westminster City Council in collaboration with the Lord Mayor of Westminster. Over 25 faith leaders, including interfaith activists and community leaders, were convened from around the region, to highlight the significance of intergenerational religious solidarity for climate action, as well as engage older faith leaders to inculcate climate justice values- along the racial and social lines- amongst the younger adherents.

Hosting this workshop at the Lord Mayor’s Parlor allowed the participants to benefit from Westminster Council’s intimate knowledge of local communities and civil society in the European region, as well as understand the role of the United Kingdom and its faith communities in shaping global climate policy.

The workshop participants included the Head Imam of the Council of the Islamic Community of Mitrovica, the Director of the International Foundation for Muslim Theology, the Director of East London Mosque, and the Media Officer for the Baha’i Faith and a Member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

The training sessions were remarkable, featuring some highly prominent climate-faith experts, including, Professor Peter Scott, Director of Lincoln Theological Institute and the Chair of the European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment, Professor Chris Rapley, Chair of the European Science Foundation’s European Space Sciences Committee and the Patron of the Surrey Climate Commission, Najma Mohamed, Policy Director of Green Economy Coalition, and Sheikh Mustafidh Gani, Member of the British Board of Scholars and Imams.

The purpose of these training sessions was to equip the participants with the knowledge and capacity to create climate action agencies within their communities and collaborate with members of other faith groups and actors in the Global South to improve North-South cooperation on climate change.