The overall well-being of the human species is entirely dependent on a healthy living Earth. Research based reports such as the United Nations 2019 Biodiversity report, and recent reports by the International Panel on Climate Change Convention, summarises the human contribution to Earth destruction over the years[1]. Which has proven to lead to evident social, economic and spiritual imbalances in people’s lives and society in general. Interventions and engagements to address these challenges, often lack integrative cross-sectoral approaches. The faith community is one of the sectors that is often underestimated in the role it could play in response to environmental sustainability, and therefore not considered to a greater extent during policy making processes.
During discussions at a seminar co-hosted by the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison office (CPLO) and the Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute (SAFCEI); participants from various faith denominations exchanged views and knowledge on how spiritual motivated consciousness could enhance better human-environmental relations. Mr Francisco Mackenzie from the western Cape Khoisan Legislative Council; spoke about the importance of addressing the environmental injustices, which resulted mostly from the land dispossession legacies as created by colonialism in Africa. He emphasised that equal access to natural resources could improve greatly the relationship that people have with the world they live in. adding to the conversation, sister Nita Makanjee from the Brahma Kumaris institution spoke about a paradigm shift in individual behaviour towards the outside world. She explained how spiritual values have a great influence on how human beings conduct themselves, which then becomes evident in their interactions with the world around them.
[1] https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-05-20/un-report-says-earth-faces-unprecedented-threat-biodiversity
