COP26 Entanglement and Possibility
This Shabbat marks both the end of COP26 as well as a Shabbat dedicated to raising awareness of Jewish Women’s Aid work on violence against women. On the one hand we are looking for large-scale impactful results out of Glasgow to help change the disastrous course we as a planet are currently on. On the other hand, Jewish communities are dedicating a Shabbat to focus on the painful issues of domestic violence and violence against women inside our communities. They do not seem to have much in common.
And yet, there is a link. In the wake of natural disasters caused by the climate crisis, violence against women and children increases due to a surge in trauma, mental health problems and financial struggles. Women are disproportionately affected by climate change in other ways too;
“Seventy per cent of the 1.3 billion people living in conditions of poverty are women. In urban areas, 40 per cent of the poorest households are headed by women. Women predominate in the world's food production (50-80 per cent), but they own less than 10 per cent of the land. Climate change will be an added stressor that will aggravate women's vulnerability. It is widely known that during conflict, women face heightened domestic violence, sexual intimidation, human trafficking and rape”.
(Women...In The Shadow of Climate Change | United Nations)
It is hard to know what to do, whether in our own personal lives or whether trying to push for larger change. It is also hard to keep spirits up, yet one of the strengths of an event like COP26 or JWA’s Shabbat is how visible they make both the problem but also all the people who are fighting to change the status quo and who care. Reading about people walking to Glasgow or seeing the global youth response can make us feel less lonely, and it strengthens our resolve. Hearing about the actions being done in Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities, both in the UK but also across the world, is inspiring and uplifting.
As the Bishop of Reading, Olivia Graham, said; “About 80 percent of the world's population are adherents of a faith, that's an awful lot of people. The concept of stewardship from the scriptures which we share is very important to us and that concept of stewardship means taking individual and collective responsibility for what God has entrusted us with and that is the starting point for all of us to live our lives sustainably”.
Dr Chinmay Pandya, the Pro Vice Chancellor of Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya University (DSVV) sent an impactful video: “Here in the Himalayas from where I am sending this message to you, we have transformed our entire premises into a zero carbon footprint establishment. Our entire organization, which has more than 150 million members and more than four thousand centres of social reform, has operated on the concept of sustainability since 1971. All the rubbish of our campus is being recycled and reused and most of our electricity is coming from solar or renewable energy resources”. (You can watch the meeting here)
Sometimes big numbers are helpful for they make us see the possible impact that we can have. And though our numbers in the Jewish community are infinitely small compared to the Muslim or Christian communities, our impact can be large when we work together internally and across faith lines.
We are continuing our work with CREOS on supporting the health of our local woodlands (on 21st November), through the Haringey Climate Forum we are working across the borough, and through Eco Synagogue we are working on reducing our community’s use of resources. In that vein our Chanukah party will be focused on how to celebrate responsibly, with different activities and ideas for reusing and making sustainable decorations and gifts. We are also calling on our children and youth to create a climate group, lead by Amelia (17) who many will know as an assistant in our Chaverim classes, to be part of our community’s response to climate change. There will be time during the Chanukah party on 28th November for the group to meet initially. If your child is interested please email Rabbi Sandra to become part of the WhatsApp group.
Climate change and violence against women are not two distinct problems, sadly they are heavily intertwined, but in that entanglement there is also possibility, so that when we work on reducing our impact on the world, we are also directly or indirectly helping women who are affected by climate violence.