Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özdemir, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Üsküdar University, participated as a speaker at the Atlantic Council meeting. Council members, gathered under the title “A Look at America's Policy Challenges for the Next Decade,” have been meeting regularly every year since 1961. Prof. Dr. Özdemir, who spoke in the session titled “Mobilizing New Resources and Stakeholders to Combat Climate Change,” addressed the impact of world religions on climate change. Özdemir said; “As individuals from different faiths and religions, we must act as a whole and with a sense of solidarity against the climate crisis.”
“The impact of religion and faith on climate change is very significant”
As it does every year, the Atlantic Council organized a meeting this year with various sessions and discussions on different issues. The council, where Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özdemir from Üsküdar University participated as a speaker, focused on the fight against climate change. Prof. Dr. Özdemir began his speech by addressing the impact of religion and faith on climate change, stating that people living in the 20th century underestimated this impact, and he has been working as an activist for many years to raise awareness on this issue. Özdemir also mentioned that he teaches courses on Environmental Philosophy, Philosophy of Technology, and Philosophical Environmental Ethics in this field.
“As individuals from different faiths, we must act together against the climate crisis”
Prof. Özdemir stated that his academic life is part of his activism, explaining that he has met many interfaith groups and continues to convey to these groups, in light of his knowledge, how environmental problems are connected with the concepts of religion and faith. Referring to the butterfly effect, Özdemir stated that climate change leads to many different problems and seriously affects the entire world. He highlighted the importance of acting as a whole and with a sense of solidarity for the solution of the problem, pointing out that many participants from different faiths and religions attended a meeting in Nairobi between February 28 and March 2, organized by the United Nations (UNEA-5.2), on the topic of “Actions to Strengthen Nature for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals.” He emphasized the importance of producing joint projects instead of merely waiting for help from politicians in solving the problem.
“As Üsküdar University, we are developing projects for environmental protection”
Among the speakers who accompanied Prof. Dr. Özdemir in the session titled “Mobilizing New Resources and Stakeholders to Combat Climate Change,” moderated by Reed Blakemore, Deputy Director of the Global Energy Center and Atlantic Council, were: Vicente Lopez, Ibor Mayor, Founder and Former Director of LightSource BP; Jenan Mohajir, Senior Director of Special Projects at Interfaith Youth Core; Glenn Schatz, Head of Revenue at BlocPower; and Michael Shank, Co-Director of the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. Prof. Dr. Özdemir concluded his speech by talking about the work they have done within the scope of the Üsküdar University Environmental Ethics Forum, which he actively directs, and the final version of al-Mizan: The World Environmental Covenant.
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