Climate faith appointment

The Climate Institute has appointed a Faith Project Officer in recognition of the powerful role individuals and organisations of faith play in addressing climate change.

Geoff Callaghan, a member of Maroubra Junction Uniting Church and founder of Project Green Church, took up the position in early July.

The job is the first of its type within the non-governmental environmental movement in Australia.

One factor in the creation of his position was the surprising download rate of an article about a faith-based response to environmental degradation available on the Climate Institute website.

“Common Belief: Australia’s faith communities on climate change”, published by the Climate Institute, compiles contributions from representatives of organisations from 16 Australian faith communities, including the Uniting Church, to begin a united discussion on climate change as a moral issue.

The article became the most popular document on their site — viewed 17,806 times since first appearing in December 2006.

“They realised that people were looking for leadership from their religious communities in regards to climate change issues,” said Mr Callaghan.

“They decided they’d take that very seriously and take someone on board to coordinate that faith response to climate change.”

He sees faith communities as a strong platform from which to encourage sustainability in the wider community and says churches and other places of worship are ideally placed to set a practical example of an anti-consumerist lifestyle that recognises the finitude of natural resources.

“I’m focusing on practical things that places of worship can do. I’m putting together a seven-point plan that churches or places of worship can commit to and implement. Then I can give them the resources to be able to actually do that.

“We want to take down the barriers of entry for people who want to do good things but don’t have the resources.”