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Orange County Faith Leaders Gather To Plea For More Urgent Climate Response
Dr. Ahmed Soboh, Chairman of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, speaks while other Orange County faith leaders (from left to right) look on: Adelia Sandoval of the Acjachemen Tribe of Orange County, Rabbi Sharon L. Sobel of Temple Beth Sholom, Rev. Sarah Averette-Phillips of Brea Congregational United Church of Christ, Greg Walgenbach of Roman Catholic Diocese of OC, and Pradeep Madaan of Irvine Hindu Mandir.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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Topline:
More than 47 Orange County faith leaders sent a letter to their local and national representatives calling for more urgent policy action to tackle the climate crisis, such as reducing red tape to speed up the clean energy transition. The group represented diverse faiths, from local Indigenous Acjachemen spirituality to Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and more.
Why now: The timing was in part inspired by Pope Francis’ call for climate action in early October — called “Laudate Deum” (Praise God), a follow-up to his 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si" (Praise Be) — as well as looking ahead to the international climate conference scheduled at the end of November in Dubai, called COP 28.
Why it matters: Around the world, faith leaders are increasingly entering the climate action space. Many faith leaders see climate action as a moral imperative driven by their faith. Diverse faith traditions call for stewardship of the environment.
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