Leaves 27 (5) - May 2025

        Newsletter of the
         INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT FORUM
         Volume 27, Number 5 --- 15 May 2025    

Website: iefworld.org
Article submission: newsletter@iefworld.org Deadline next issue 10 June 2025
Secretariat Email: ief@iefworld.org Christine Muller General Secretary 
Postal address: 12B Chemin de Maisonneuve, CH-1219 Chatelaine, Geneva, Switzerland
Download the easier to read pdf version

From the Editor, Request for information for upcoming newsletters

This newsletter is an opportunity for IEF members to share their experiences, activities, and  initiatives that are taking place at the community level on environment, climate change  and sustainability. All members are welcome to contribute information about related  activities, upcoming conferences, news from like-minded organizations, recommended  websites, book reviews, etc. Please send information to newsletter@iefworld.org.

Please share the Leaves newsletter and IEF membership  information with family, friends and associates, and encourage interested persons to consider  becoming a member of the IEF.

REGISTRATION FOR IEF CONFERENCE IS NOW OPEN!

The IEF 29th Annual Conference will take place at the Baha’i Training Centre near Oxford, UK, on 26 – 29 June 2025. 

The conference theme is Building Capacity for Sustainability Discourse and Action. 

For Registration go here: https://www.bahaievents.org.uk/events/manage/cev39/rfe4.php?formId=1CB8D9YN  
Registration deadline: 12 June 

The program will include study sessions, discussions, outdoor activities, and a hybrid panel. Below you find a conference programme overview and highlights. 
For more information visit the conference website: https://iefworld.org/conf29  

Information about the hybrid panel on Saturday evening 28 June will be shared later. 

Some highlights: 

• Case studies of Baha’i-inspired environmental action or public discourse 
On Friday evening, participants will share such stories from the UK and around the world. If you would like to share a story, please, let us know (ief@iefworld.org) 
• Nature hike with IEF member Steve Vickers on Friday afternoon 
• Do you like to get your hands dirty? There will be a service opportunity on Saturday afternoon to support the custodians of the Baha’i Training Centre in their work to keep the surroundings beautiful. 
• The mornings will be dedicated for study and discussion based on quotations from the Baha’i writings and guidance, especially compiled for the conference.
• No time to get tired in the late afternoons because you can participate in a discussion game that will stimulate your broad thinking about sustainability issues and in a workshop that may let you see the Baha’i teachings in a whole new light. 
• And most importantly, the conference is a unique opportunity to meet in person. In recent years, all IEF conferences were entirely virtual. This makes a lot of sense for an international organisation with members and associates from 92 countries. However, in an increasingly deteriorating world, we don’t know whether and when an in-person conference will be possible again in the future. 

Please, help spread the word about the conference! We rely on IEF members and associates to invite people personally, on social media, and with announcements or articles in their national or local Baha’i newsletters. Here is a conference invitation for download: Conference Invitation in pdf for sharing.

Welcome!

We welcome our new members and associate: 

Members:  
Graydon Puinam (Papua New Guinea)  
Jeff Barnes (USA)  

Associate: 
Sagar Subba (India)

A new paper by Arthur Dahl was presented at the Justice Conference in the Netherlands on 20 April 2025, and is now available in text here and as a presentation on the IEF website here.

Communities are increasingly threatened by climate change and other environmental risks, unsustainable use of essential resources, economic vulnerabilities in a disintegrating world, and social challenges in fragmenting societies. Some outside dependencies cannot be avoided, but there are also potentials for self-sufficiency, and tools are available to explore these. Communities should build their capacity to read their local reality, consult on the options and resources available, and strengthen their resilience to live through the challenges ahead. Community solidarity is the best insurance in difficult times, and can maintain hope in the future.

News from the North American Association for Baha’i Studies Climate Change Interest Group

This year's ABS conference will be held in Calgary, Alberta, with the conference opening at 7 p.m. on Friday, 1 August. However a number of specialized seminars will take place on Thursday (31 July) and Friday during the day. A Climate/Environment seminar will be held to build on the reading groups of the past 4 years, facilitated by Nancy Dinnigan-Prashad, Leslie Cole and Darren Hedley, open to anyone coming to Calgary. The link to apply is here: https://www.bahaistudies.ca/seminars. Our seminar is called “Climate Change: Our Role in the Process Toward a Just and Sustainable Future ”. Application deadline is June 1, but if anyone wants to join after that date they could contact darrenkhedley@gmail.com. 

Thursday will feature a nature hike guided by a retired environmental officer. Friday will be an intensive study of what's needed to lead to a just, environmentally sustainable world. We can see that the disintegration process is well underway in the world—what do we need to do to build a spiritually and materially healthy society of the future? 

Some of the elements in the program: 
* Current climate reality 
* A brief review of some things we learned from previous reading groups and books 
* Consultation about methods to assess what is true, in a world of misinformation and misdirection 
* Consultation about the qualities needed by individual, communities and institutions

Armando and the Amazing Animal Race

IEF member, Diana Schaffter, has recently completed an eco-adventure novel, Armando and the Amazing Animal Race, for children aged 8 to 12. 

In this page-turning adventure, twelve-year-old Armando joins a continent-hopping race with his eccentric grandmother to photograph seven endangered animals in just seventy days. His summer explodes into a thrilling expedition that isn't just about the adrenaline rush—it's a transformative journey that educates readers about the importance of conservation and the beauty of our natural world. 

With vivid depictions of destinations, diverse cultures, and richly crafted scenes, Diana breathes life into the spirit of exploration, kindling a fervor for world travel that will resonate with anyone of any age who yearns for adventure. 

“If you have wondered how to instill a love of nature and wildlife in young people, here is an answer in a story you cannot put down. It skillfully weaves animal science, geography, the importance of family, personal discovery and courage, and essential human values in a narrative that enthralls all who open its pages … With the world facing existential environmental crises, young people inspired by this heroic tale will play an important role in leading the way forward.” —Arthur Dahl 

Available now on Amazon globally ... for ages 8 to 108 ... and timed for exciting summer reading by environmental advocates as well as children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. 

The color ePub version of the book is available for free on Amazon for some days at the end of May. (We are not sure the days yet). If you would like to receive information on a free copy, send an email to timschaffter@gmail.com or sign up to Diana’s newsletter at www.dianaschaffter.com.

Earth Day 2025: Grassroots initiatives further collective understanding of environmental stewardship

As Earth Day 2025 is observed around the globe on April 22, Bahá’í communities across Canada are learning about principles of environmental stewardship that can guide humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Grassroots initiatives, ranging from community gardens to reforestation projects, reflect a growing consciousness of the profound interrelationship between human beings and the natural world.

In Toronto’s Upper Don Mills neighbourhood, a group of young people, ages 11 to 14, have sustained a community garden project since 2019, in collaboration with Oriole Food Space, a local food security organization. What began as a modest effort to plant and maintain a small plot of vegetables during the pandemic, has since grown into a sustained initiative intended to serve the wider community. Some of the food grown, has been used to make meals for the community, and at other times, has been distributed to families or donated to the local food bank.

“This project has been an enriching experience for youth. Over the years, they have developed a sense of responsibility needed to nurture something continuously, learned the practical skills of growing vegetables, and felt more connected to food and where it comes from.” said Tahireh Mohebati, a coordinator of the youth program in the neighbourhood. “Through this service they have also met new friends, engaged older youth and parents, and created a social space in the community garden for meaningful conversations and community building.”

In another part of the Greater Toronto Area, preparations for Canada’s first Bahá’í House of Worship are offering Baha’is and their friends new opportunities for environmental engagement around the Temple site. One such project is a tree nursery initiative sustained by local volunteers. Protected over the winter by a plastic covered 'hoop house’, and sheltered from the summer sun under a canopy, more than 800 seedlings, representing over 20 native species, await planting. Sourced from a local tree farm, the seedlings were potted by over 50 volunteers in May 2024 and have been carefully nurtured since. An additional 550 seedlings will be prepared this spring.

The tree planting initiative is part of a long-term Managed Forest Plan implemented by the national governing council of the Bahá’ís of Canada over 10 years ago, in collaboration with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. “The seedlings are still establishing their root systems and showing modest growth.” said David Megit, a local volunteer involved with the seedling initiative, “starting next year, they will be planted into open areas and used to replace invasive trees currently on the Temple site.”

As an expression of environmental stewardship, the seedling project will enhance the biodiversity and overall health of the forest around the Temple site. The nursery now includes over 20 native tree species including bur, white and red oaks, red and sugar maples, trembling aspen, paper birch, white pine, eastern hemlock, tamarack, black cherry, serviceberry, bitternut hickory and butternut. Some species to be planted, are considered species at risk such as the Tulip, Kentucky Coffee and Sycamore. The Tulip tree, of the magnolia family, in addition to its beautiful blossoms, and due to its rapid growth, tremendous height and long life, has been found to sequester more carbon from the air than other tree species. In addition, many of these native trees will provide food for various wildlife in the form of berries, nuts, and leaves.

Another group of volunteers will be needed for this spring’s potting, and it is anticipated that over time a core group of volunteers will be established to help with the regular maintenance activities, such as watering, weeding, fertilizing, and re-transplanting among other tasks. Through such projects, communities and individuals of all ages are growing in their understanding of the intimate connection between the emerging Temple, the principle of environmental stewardship, and service to others.

More information about the Temple and its sustainability plan is available here.

SOURCE: Baha'i World News Service https://news.bahai.ca/en/articles/earth-day-2025-grassroots-initiatives…

This Declaration represents a landmark interfaith commitment to marine conservation and ocean protection ahead of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France. It was developed through a rigorous collaborative process involving representatives from diverse faith traditions and organizations, marine conservation experts, and policy specialists. It articulates shared spiritual values for ocean protection while providing concrete policy recommendations to support marine conservation goals.

Introduction

The ocean speaks to the heart of our spiritual traditions. Water connects and flows through our diverse faiths in both symbolism and sustenance. We, representatives of diverse faith communities and spiritual traditions worldwide, are uniting to protect our shared ocean which demonstrates the interconnectedness and interdependence of lands, peoples, and all living beings.

The planetary crises of human-induced climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution threaten ocean ecosystems and violate the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. The ocean, which regulates the climate and feeds billions, faces unprecedented threats. It is a moral imperative to protect and care for the ocean and the people in vulnerable situations who rely on it. Yet, when the ocean is given respect and care, it demonstrates remarkable regenerative capacity. As the fragile balance of ocean ecosystems becomes increasingly disturbed, we are called to respond with spiritual wisdom, scientific understanding, and bold action.

We invite contemplation of the ocean's depths as a journey of spiritual significance—from the sunlit zone through the twilight zone and into the midnight zone—offering wisdom that can guide humanity toward a more mindful relationship with water, the source of all life. The ocean's interconnectedness, as waters flow between continents, holds profound significance across our traditions and calls us to unified action.

The full declaration can be read on the IEF website here. 

SOURCE: https://www.oceans.faith/en/declaration 

IPBES Transformative Change Assessment

Deep, fundamental shifts in how people view and interact with the natural world are urgently needed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and safeguard life on Earth, warns a landmark new report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

The IPBES Assessment Report on the Underlying Causes of Biodiversity Loss and the Determinants of Transformative Change and Options for Achieving the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity – also known as the Transformative Change Report – builds on the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report, which found that the only way to achieve global development goals is through transformative change, and on the 2022 IPBES Values Assessment Report.

Prepared over three years by more than 100 leading experts from 42 countries from all regions of the world, the report explains what transformative change is, how it occurs, and how to accelerate it for a just and sustainable world. All the chapters of the full report were released in April 2025 at https://www.ipbes.net/transformative-change-assessment.

Major points of the report:

Planet in Peril: IPBES Report Reveals Options to Achieve Urgently Needed Transformative Change to Halt Biodiversity Collapse

Focuses on the Underlying Causes of the Biodiversity Crisis & Options for a Just and Sustainable World

Acting Immediately Could Generate $10 Trillion in Business Opportunity Value and Support 395 Million Jobs by 2030

Continue reading this article here: https://iefworld.org/IPBEStransformative 

SOURCE: https://www.ipbes.net/transformative-change/media-release Summary for Policy-makers https://ipbes.canto.de/v/IPBES11Media/album/ROLPU

All chapters of the Transformative Change Assessment are now available at https://www.ipbes.net/transformative-change-assessment 

A Compilation of Bahá'í writings on Transformative Change demonstrates how this scientific assessment corresponds completely to the Bahá'í principles and vision of the path to a just and sustainable future.

The thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will meet in Belim, Brazil, in November 2025.

The COP President-Designate, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, wrote a letter on 10 March 2025 describing the Brazilian Governments objectives and proposals for COP30. Of particular interest to IEF are the following quotes from that letter.

"The incoming presidency will also undertake a “Global Ethical Stocktake” (GES) to hear from a geographically diverse group of thinkers, scientists, politicians, religious leaders, artists, philosophers, and traditional peoples and communities, among others, about ethical commitments and practices for dealing with climate change at all levels. As French philosopher Rabelais warned us in the 16th century, “science sans conscience n’est que ruine de l'âme” (“science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul”)."

"We will also invite leaders among Indigenous Peoples to form a “Circle of Indigenous Leadership” to help integrate traditional knowledges and wisdom into global collective intelligence."

On 8 May, the Presidency wrote a second significant letter. Here are the two opening paragraphs: 

"Signs of human-induced climate change reached new heights since the issuance of my first letter to the international community in March. The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Global Climate report confirmed 2024 as the warmest year on record, and the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has reached its highest level in the last 800,000 years. We see clear signals of planetary distress, including increased ocean heat, decreased sea- ice extents and glacier mass, and sea level rise. 

"With this second letter, the Brazilian incoming Presidency of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) moves from vision towards action, calling on the international community to mobilize in the face of climate urgency." 

You can read both letters here: https://cop30.br/en/brazilian-presidency/letters-from-the-presidency.

There is a little-known fact about the climate crisis: the overwhelming majority of the world’s people want their governments to take stronger action.

The 89 Percent Project is a partnership among news sources across the globe that builds on many recent scientific studies finding that between 80-89% of the world’s population want stronger climate action. This overwhelming global majority, however, does not realize that they are a majority; most think their fellow citizens don’t agree.

For years most coverage of the climate crisis has been defensive. People who support climate action are implicitly told – by their elected officials, by the fossil fuel industry, by news coverage and social media discourse – that theirs is a minority, even a fringe, view. That is not what the new research finds.

The most recent study in 2024 found that, among poorer countries, where roughly four out of five of the world’s inhabitants live, 89% of the public wanted stronger climate action. In richer, industrialized countries, roughly two out of three people wanted stronger action. Combining rich and poor populations, 80% of people globally want more climate action from their governments.

Who are the people who comprise the 89%? Given that support for climate action varies by country – the figure is 74% in the US, 80% in India, 90% in Burkina Faso – does support also vary by age, gender, political affiliation and economic status? What do members of the climate majority want from their political and community leaders? What obstacles are standing in the way?

A study published by Nature Climate Change noted that the overwhelming global majority does not know it is the majority: “[I]ndividuals around the globe systematically underestimate the willingness of their fellow citizens to act,” the report states. Experts agree breaking this “spiral of silence” could encourage critical climate action.

Taken together, the new research overturns the conventional wisdom about climate opinion. At a time when many governments and companies are stalling or retreating from rapidly phasing out the fossil fuels that are driving deadly heat, fires and floods, more than eight out of 10 human beings on the planet want their political representatives to preserve a livable future. This offers a much-needed ray of hope. The question is whether and how that mass sentiment might be translated into effective action.

What would it mean if this silent climate majority woke up – if its members came to understand just how many people, both in distant lands and in their own communities, think and feel like they do? How might this majority’s actions – as citizens, as consumers, as voters – change? If the current narrative in news and social media shifted from one of retreat and despair to one of self-confidence and common purpose, would people shift from being passive observers to active shapers of their shared future? If so, what kinds of climate action would they demand from their leaders?

If most of the climate majority have no idea they are the majority, do they also not realize that defusing the climate crisis is by no means impossible? Scientists have long said that humanity possesses the tools and knowhow necessary to limit temperature rise to the Paris agreement’s aspirational target of the 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. What has been lacking is the political will to implement those tools and leave fossil fuels behind. The 89% Project will culminate in a second joint week of coverage before the COP30 United Nations climate meeting in Brazil in November.

SOURCES: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/22/89-percent-project-climate-change 
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2025/apr/23/climate-action-public-support 

As the planet faces an existential emergency, we as people of faith are deeply concerned with the insufficient action and backsliding shown by the international community in addressing the dangerous consequences of climate change. Such consequences include species extinction, altered weather patterns, biodiversity collapse, and more. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, as climate science is attacked and the multilateral framework is questioned, now is the time to stand up for the planet, the most vulnerable, and future generations of all species of life. This call to action from the Interfaith Liaison Committee of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is grounded in the moral tenets of our respective religious traditions which collectively inspire our commitment to act for climate justice.

Climate Justice

We support a human rights-based approach to climate action that prioritises listening and responding to the voices of the poor, the marginalised, and those most vulnerable to the disproportionate impacts of climate change. Ten percent of the population is responsible for close to fifty percent of emissions. There is no justice when those least responsible are the first victims. We urge negotiators to listen to and amplify the voices of environmental human rights defenders, Indigenous advocates, youth, women, and those from countries and communities that are most at risk.

We assert that those with greater responsibility for climate change - governments and companies in the Global North - should take greater responsibility. We uphold the principles that polluters should pay and that countries have common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

A human rights-based approach should form the basis of national and international approaches to addressing climate change and prompt reform of the global financial and economic system. This means rethinking and changing prevailing norms and assumptions that depend on extractive economic growth and consumption as key priorities for humanity's success and shifting to a more reciprocal and sustainable structure that encompasses emissions reduction targets. Furthermore, a just transition must be provided for workers, efforts to restore nature should be undertaken, and commitments must be made to support restitution for climate induced loss and damage. Effective global governance is key for all of these efforts, reinforcing the value of multilateralism at a time when it faces profound threats.

Advancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) goals

Climate justice necessitates a rapid and equitable phase out of fossil fuels, clearly delineated in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The NDC pledges we see today are insufficient for the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius as collectively approved in the Paris Agreement. Achieving a better future requires ambitiously addressing the root causes of climate change and responding to the outcome of the global stocktake. We as faith communities support economic and societal changes in solidarity with the bold political decisions necessary to build a just and sustainable path forward.

Faith groups call collectively on our moral foundation to guide, urge, and support governments in committing to strong NDCs and ensuring their successful implementation.

Governments must exercise political will, leadership, and moral courage to raise ambition and create firm and transparent timetables to ensure targets are met. NDCs must include, at the very minimum:

• Clear and measurable emission reduction targets.
• Outcomes aligned with IPCC scientific findings and UNFCCC mandates.
• Strong monitoring, and reporting mechanisms with clear implementation strategies.
• Built in safeguards for transparency during creation and consultation processes to ensure representation of impacted groups.
• Policy targets tied to consequences if countries fail to achieve promised targets.

Climate Finance

Fulfilling their obligations under the Paris Agreement and the Baku to Belém Roadmap, developed countries must provide support to developing countries and define how parties will provide the more than $1.3 trillion in climate finance needed by 2035 and respond to the negative effects of foreign debt obligations. After years of failure, parties must recommit to just models of financing which ensure public grants, not loans, are available, predictable, needs-based, rights-and-gender responsive. They must be accessible so countries can pay for adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage.

Closing: Faith communities – our contribution and responsibilities

Global and local action moving forward together in solidarity to address the climate emergency is critical now more than ever. Faith groups reach across the world and are among the biggest networks in local communities, with places of worship such as churches, temples, mosques, synagogues and holy places, serving as bridges to connect NDC policy aims with local populations.

Faith communities have a moral responsibility to protect our planet and should:

• Drive NDC implementation by promoting climate education and supporting initiatives and climate finance commitments that align with national goals.
• Leverage the power of spiritual ethics and storytelling to drive change and encourage accountability.
• Offer our spiritual practices of prayer and meditation.
• Anchor protest and resistance to the dismantling of climate commitments.
• Speak from a moral and ethical perspective on economic and political issues.
• Address how climate justice affects all social challenges: injustice, equity, hunger, poverty, and stewardship.

In summary, we would like to explore the offering of Faith Determined Contributions as a complement to achieve NDCs. As faith groups, we recognise that we must also build up our own capacities, invest in education and awareness-building, and help our communities connect their moral and spiritual beliefs with the need for ambitious climate action, ethical responsibility, and equitable resource use. In light of the Global Ethical Stocktake, faith communities could open a new horizon for ethical action, prioritising global community and long-term vision while uniting people with a shared ethical foundation.

As communities of faith, we acknowledge we live on one Earth, and that our planet consists of an interconnected whole of myriad forms of life, including - but not limited to - the human. In terms of our human presence, each country and individual is a valued member of our collective planetary whole, responsible for their part in addressing the climate emergency.