Faith leaders unite across the country for climate action

Yesterday, Uniting Church leaders and communities were among those making a stand for climate justice and climate action as part of the Multifaith Week of Action organised by the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC).

Banners were unveiled and media events were held at cathedrals and high profile places of worship across the country, as leaders from across faith traditions united to send a clear message to those in power: we support a bold and rapid move away from coal and gas projects towards a sustainable future.

The Uniting Church presence at media events included Rev Mata Havea Hiliau, Moderator of the Synod of NSW/ACT, Rev John Hughes, minister at Pilgrim Uniting Church in Adelaide, Rev Hollis Wilson, minister at Wesley Uniting Church in Perth, and retired Uniting Church minister Rev John Brentnall. They joined First Nations leaders and leaders from the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Catholic, Anglican, Quaker, Hindu and Baháʼí traditions.

The events were covered by 35 media outlets. Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli was called upon for media interviews yesterday morning and was quoted in a media release from the ARRCC.

One of the calls of the Week of Action is to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy and not nuclear, which could not be deployed sufficiently quickly to address an urgent crisis and which has its own moral problems.

"Nuclear would cause dangerous delays when we’re in an urgent crisis, leading us to use a lot more gas in the meantime," said Rev Suli. That would mean billions of tonnes more climate pollution."

The President also featured in a faith leaders video released by the ARRCC yesterday.

Many Uniting Church congregations joined in locally, displaying banners calling for an end to coal and gas and expressing our commitment to the care of God's creation. Large banners were hung at Pitt Street Uniting Church in Sydney’s CBD and at Wesley Uniting Church in the heart of Perth.

Events for the Week of Action are calling for:

• An end to new coal and gas projects
• A plan to move away from coal and gas towards investment in clean energy
• An end to public funding for these industries
• Financial help for our Pacific neighbours
• Respect for First Nations peoples’ rights to protect Country

The Uniting Church has named its commitment to God's creation since its birth in 1977. The Assembly adopted the Church’s landmark statement on climate change almost 20 years ago. Action and advocacy on the climate crisis are now more urgent than ever, as Pacific nations bear the worst impacts of climate change, national disasters worsen and become more regular, and young people experience unprecedented rates of climate anxiety.

We are committed to being on the frontline of advocacy for climate action and to calling on those in power to support those most impacted by climate change.

Some ways to take action

• Share this video from the ARRCC which features leaders of all faiths across Australia
• Hang a banner at your place of worship. Designs are available from the ARRCC
• Mark the Season of Creation in your worship this September
• Find out more about the Uniting Church’s commitments to climate action in Our Vision for a Just Australia
• Find out more about the Assembly’s commitment to reach net-zero omissions by 2040 and find resources to help your community work towards this goal. Read about the resolution passed by the 17th Assembly to continue this work.