oa Opening Statement

The World Health Organisation estimates that climate change since the 1970s is already responsible for 140,000 deaths annually. The uncertainties of climate change raise the possibility that it will bring disaster on a global scale, but also that its impact might be delayed, provided that we take decisive action now. Most of the negative consequences will be felt in the earth's mid-latitudes, already the poorest parts of the world, where secondary effects such as economic disruption, disease, famine and war will be experienced most acutely.

Climate change is caused by humans and all indicators tend to show that it is going to get worse, hence the need for decisive, timely and sustained global political action. These are the expectations with which we host the Doha Climate Change Conference 2012 as part of the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).

We hope that through this journal our different religious traditions can guide us, at this crucial time in human history, in developing a common discourse inspired by their ancient wisdom. May it teach us how to relate to the environment and to our fellow humans who, in other countries and in future times, will be affected by the economic decisions we make in our own countries at this present time. Our hope is that our religious traditions can remind us to look beyond selfishness, greed and apathy in making economic decisions informed by ethical principles. May we learn how to walk the earth with humility, like the founders of the various religions did, and to leave the earth in a better condition than that in which we inherited it from our forefathers.