[Creation Care] UN Climate Summit addressed by Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences Director

Wed Sep 23 15:59:42 EDT 2009

Islamic green group IFEES' leader addresses the UN: here's some of  
what he planned to say.

Erik

Begin forwarded message:

>
>
> IFEES Director Addresses UN Climate Change Summit
>
> Salam, Shalom and Peace brothers and sisters in humanity :
> Hope you are in the best of health and faith, Insha'Allah.
>
> And a special Eid Mubarak to our Muslim readers!
>
> Good news! Our Director, Fazlun Khalid, the founder of the
> Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences
> has been honoured by an invitation by the Secretary General
> of the UN to participate in a round table discussion on Climate
> Change with world leaders on 22 September in New York.
> This is the statement he will be making which will be
> video cast on the UN website the same day.
>
> "It hasn’t quite entered the human consciousness, that if planet
> earth suffers we suffer and that we have nowhere else to go. We
> are part of an integrated earth and when we reduce the natural
> world to an exploitable resource this turns inwards on us. How
> else does one explain the consequences of climate change?
> Yes, the human species is unique. We have the capacity to
> observe the world around us, describe what we see, quantify
> it and then take advantage of it. However, the most extreme
> and all pervasive form of this is our collective, unfettered
> defilement of nature. For example we have managed to consume
> in a space of two hundred and fifty years or so, fossil fuel
> resources that have taken 250,000,000 years to lay down. That is,
> averaging consumption in one year, of what has taken nature a
> million years to produce. This is set to continue unabated until
> these resources run dry even as the chickens come home to roost.
> Prosperity it seems is based on creating discontent as consumers
> are seduced to vie with each other in pursuit of technopia. We
> have political, financial and industrial systems, in place that
> will ensure that this continues without interruption. If there
> is a lesson we can learn from the financial crisis it is that
> market forces are a fiction because money itself is a fiction.
> It can be created by the stroke of a pen or push of a button
> by those privileged to be bankers. The rest of us work for a living.
>
> Individual nation states have their own priorities and agendas. But,
> the common denominator however is growth based on fictitious money.
> While those ahead in the race are able to create more money to stay
> ahead, those behind engage in an almost impossible game of catch up.
> The victim of this game is planet earth and climate change is the
> result. Moderating this appears to be what Copenhagen is about and
> this requires, the rich nations particularly, to tighten their belts
> severely, whilst those behind loosen theirs’ ever so gently. There
> is no gain without pain. Current growth rates steal from the legacy
> that by right belong to future generations. It would seem that in
> allowing to be swept away by forces intent on destroying the natural
> world in the name of economic growth faith communities have  
> surrendered
> their responsibilities, Muslims, not least amongst them. Our job is
> to prod this group, which constitutes twenty percent of the world’s
> population, to wake up to their teachings and join forces with other
> like-minded people to leave a liveable planet for our children.
>
> It is now or never - well almost."
>
> For more information please  contact Daud(David) on 07926085947
> or 01283 529767 , e-mail info at ifees.org.uk or visit
> the website at www.ifees.org.uk
>
> Finally, please support IFEES to continue raising the importance
> of these issues through the production of educational literature,
> training programmes and supporting such campaigns. Your support
> will also help us to set up a global network of Muslim
> environmentalists from Aceh to Zanzibar. To donate please visit:
>
>             www.justgiving.com/ifees
>
>
> Please support us now and forward to others
> who may benefit or support us. Thank you!
>
> Best regards, Islamic Foundation for Ecology
> and Environmental Sciences (IFEES)
>
> ********************************************************************** 
> *
>
> - This is a responsible information based e-mail. If you DO NOT  
> wish to
> receive this, simply contact removeme at ifees.org.uk and you will be  
> removed
> from the list immediately.
>
> - IFEES is a registered UK Charity No: 1041198
> Please send correspondence to: IFEES, 93 Court
> Road, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 9LQ
> Tel: 0044-(0)121-440-3500 Fax: 0044-(0)-121-440-8144
> E-mail: info at ifees.org.uk ; Website: www.ifees.org.uk
>
> ********************************************************************** 
> *
>
>

--
Erik Hoffner
Orion Grassroots Network
888-909-6568
http://www.oriongrassroots.org

The Orion Grassroots Network provides services and support to  
grassroots organizations engaged in ecological, social, and cultural  
change.

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