In Paris climate change conference, movement towards global unity

In Paris climate change conference, movement towards global unity

BIC representative Serik Tokbolat speaks on a panel regarding community resilience in the face of climate-driven extreme events.
PARIS—14 December 2015

The outcome of last week’s UN Conference on Climate Change, known as COP21, which resulted in an accord signed by 196 nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reflects a significant step towards greater unity and cooperation among nations as the world learns to face major global challenges, says the Baha’i International Community (BIC).

“From the perspective of unity in action, the Paris conference must be considered a success,” said Serik Tokbolat, a representative of the BIC to the United Nations. “While some have suggested the final document falls short of what is really needed to prevent major effects from climate change, the world has proven its ability to come together at the global level and to consult deeply about its future.”

Mr. Tokbolat represented the BIC as part of a Baha’i delegation to the conference, which brought together thousands of representatives of government, business and civil society.

“Our focus, in our activities, discussions and statements, was to call attention to the need for individuals, communities, and institutions everywhere to develop new patterns of action and interaction that can help humanity collectively take a more balanced attitude toward the environment.

“Humanity can take steps to prevent the negative effects of climate change and improve its relationship with the planet if it acts with vision and volition,” he said.

The main contribution of the Baha’i International Community to COP21, he said, took the form of an official statement, titled “Shared Vision, Shared Volition: Choosing Our Global Future Together.”

Among other things, the document explains that “sustainable patterns of individual and collective life will ... require not only new technologies, but also a new consciousness in human beings, including a new conception of ourselves and our place in the world.”

The International Environment Forum (IEF), a Baha’i-inspired organization, also participated in the event.  The BIC and the IEF organized, co-sponsored, or participated in a number of side events to COP21. These included:

1)  “Community resilience in the face of climate-driven extreme events, a Vanuatu case study.” Held 5 December in the Climate Generations area, and sponsored by the IEF, the event explored the tools used by Baha'is for building social cohesion at the rural village level, and more broadly in communities and neighborhoods that are often vulnerable to extreme climate events. The event featured a video showing the response of the Baha’i community and others in Tanna, Vanuatu, after Cyclone Pam in 2015.

“Central to Baha’i efforts is the conviction that, important as raising consciousness and awareness is, movement toward true sustainability will require development in the capacity to act ethically, effectively, and collectively,” said Mr. Tokbolat, speaking at the side event. “Baha’is are therefore seeking to build foresight, wisdom, and a capacity for moral choices that favor collective well-being over self-interest, in growing numbers of individuals, communities, and institutions of society.”

2) “Examination of How Nations Have and Should Consider Equity and Justice in Setting INDCs.” Held 5 December in the main conference area, the event examined how nations have and should set INDCs (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions) on the basis of justice. It was organized by the Baha'is of the United States, the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium, Unitarian Universalist Association, and Widener University.

Peter Adriance, a representative of the Baha'is of the United States to COP21, talked about the role of faith communities in the climate change negotiations and the importance of action based on ethical and spiritual values, stressing that “we are a single people on a single planet.”

The IEF also organized or participated in other side events, including events on “Principles for accountability for climate change agreements,” “Values-based climate change education,” and “Accountability after Paris.”

Arthur Dahl, president of the IEF, said their events   “sought to broaden the discussion of climate change beyond the science and technological solutions to include the values-based social transformation that will be fundamental to implementing the Paris Agreement.

“It supported this with practical examples of the learning in Baha'i communities, as in Vanuatu and Malaysia after natural disasters, and in Baha'i-inspired courses on climate change, as well as in research on values-based learning to motivate sustainable lifestyles and on mechanisms of accountability in international governance,” said Dr. Dahl, who is a retired deputy assistant executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).