Leaders agree the environment is religions´ business

A multi-faith gathering that included environmentalists, students and diplomats has outlined the personal and religious responsibilities that people all have to protect the natural world.

Students pledge to protect the environment during a campfire at the workshop

The four-day workshop on the theme “Saving Planet Earth,” held on the outskirts of Colombo, covered the main issues to be raised at the world leaders´ Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen next month.

Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and Hindu leaders all said environmental protection is close to the heart of their religious principles.

Father Noel Dias of Colombo archdiocese said that the Bible´s book of Genesis taught that God gave Adam and Eve “dominion” over the natural world. But this means people are stewards and trustees of the earth and its resources, not its owners, he said.

Anglican Bishop Duleep de Chickera agreed.

“The world´s religions in their wisdom and humanity support the concept of earth trusteeship. That should be understood by the entire community,” he said.

Swami Shanker Kamalanathan, a Hindu priest, said: “Hinduism is very near to nature and it sees God in every object in the universe.” He called on people to shun rampant consumerism.

Buddhism, meanwhile, holds dire warnings of what happens when the relations between man and the natural world degenerate due to greed, Olande Ananda Thero, a monk, said.

Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic and Muslim religious leaders at the workshop

Muslim cleric Moulawi Nilam said Islamic views on ecology are similar to those of Christianity. He also called on students to use their skills for a better world. “Your science, technology and professionalism must subdue our fears and cynicism,” he said.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Patricia A. Butenis echoed the religious leaders´ faith-based views, saying each individual is a caretaker of the environment and must take positive actions for the benefit of generations to come.

Participants in the meeting that ended Nov. 22, agreed on a range of practical steps that could be taken to protect the environment. These included avoiding rampant consumerism, preserving water, planting trees and reducing fuel usage.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika said that the Earth´s resources, just like people´s cultural heritage, are meant to be preserved.