A Climate of Change: Heads, Hearts, and Hands Around the Planet (2010)

A Climate of Change: UU-UNO Spring Seminar 2010 | Heads, Hearts and Hands | Around the Planet

Each year the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) hosts our Intergenerational Spring Seminar. Our 2010 theme was A Climate of Change: Heads, Hearts, and Hands Around the Planet. Below is the statement complied by attendees to represent Unitarian Universalist voices at the United Nations.

UU United Nations 2010 Seminar Statement

Whereas…

  • All seven of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Principles mandate environmental stewardship…
  • The scientific evidence supporting global warming is overwhelming and cannot be ignored…
  • Climate change has the potential to degrade the quality of life of all people on earth, particularly those who lack the resources to adapt.
  • The impacts of global warming have dire consequences, including extreme weather, rising sea levels, and mass extinctions…
  • There is no second planet and so we must preserve the one we have…
  • Dwindling water and food supply will also increase conflict between groups and threaten world peace…
  • The COP15 was a pivotal first step towards making a binding agreement but is not enough…

We hereby resolve to…

  • Be conscientious consumers by distinguishing the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want’.
  • Educate our communities (schools, congregations, communities) with the most accurate information available, to counter disinformation, and to use the Internet and the arts as tools of communication.
  • Take simple and economical steps in our own backyards (such as planting native trees and plants) as well as advocating for pro-environment legislation and research on a larger scale.
  • Support political candidates/elected officials who acknowledge the climate crisis and demand that they take action.
  • Urge COP16 in Cancun, Mexico to develop a fair, ambitious binding agreement. The agreement should provide for substantial aid to developing countries for technology transfer and adaptation.
  • Work with the United Nations for generational equity so that our children inherit a planet that is both functional and enjoyable. We must support the UU-UNO as our representative on a global scale.