Faith Leadership and Representatives
As a general election draws near in the UK, it’s crucial that all who concerned about the climate emergency engage with our elected representatives –local and national. We know that ambitious climate action is popular.
We need to make sure all our elected representatives hear this, loud and clear. This is why every contact from a constituent or elector makes a difference. To help you along, we know you need resources and guidance to get you started:
Faith for the Climate’s network of faith leaders and representatives has an ambition – that every election candidate hears about climate justice directly from their constituents. We know that climate change is now a crisis because it was caused historically by inequality and injustice, and it now drivers more inequalities and injustices. Those who have done least to cause climate change are suffering most.
But the governments and businesses that have done the most to cause climate change continue dragging their feet even as we know there is much more to be done. This is where elected representatives – including our MPs, devolved governments, mayors and local councillors – could make a real difference, given the right encouragement and messages.
Faith groups can and do make a difference. People of faith played a huge role that led to the historic “loss and damage” fund agreed at COP27, the UN climate talks in 2022. This includes communities and organisations based in the UK – many as part of the Faith for the Climate network. At the upcoming general election, faith communities can take the lead or support climate justice creatively, and with compassion and steadfastness.
How might we do this within and across our faith traditions? A Christian church and a Sikh gurdwara in a local area, for example, could lead a powerful mixed-faith delegation together in a collective approach to a local MP. Or a local mosque, synagogue, or mandir might be able to join forces with local chapters of national environmentalist networks, for example, Friends of the Earth or Greenpeace.
Once again, here are resources and guidance to get you started:
Contact us if you have any meetings with MP’s or elected representatives – and let us know what their response was to your requests.