Faith groups joining climate fight

POINTE-AUX-CHENES, La. - Riding down the Pointe-Aux-Chenes bayou, Donald Dardar points to a cross marking his ancestors' burial ground - a place he fears will disappear. He points to partly submerged stumps killed by saltwater, and his mother's home, gutted by Hurricane Ida. He and his wife, Theresa, have a mission: Protecting Pointe-aux-Chenes and other communities at risk of losing its wetlands.  For years, the Dardars have joined forces with Rev. Kristina Peterson, pastor of Bayou Blue Presbyterian in Gray, to work with scientists and members of Pointe-au-Chien and two other tribes. They've set out oyster shells to protect sacred mounds, obtained financing to refill oil field canals, and built an elevated greenhouse to save their medicinal herbs from flooding. 

The work to save their home and heritage is part of a broader trend around the world of faith leaders and environmental activists. From Hindus to Muslim imams, the movement knows no denominational boundaries. They share a moral imperative to preserve what they see as a divinely given environment. But some think change must come from world leaders meeting at the U.N. climate conference in Scotland through Nov. 12.  "It's up to them to step up to the plate," Theresa Dardar said. Louisiana has 40 percent of America's wetlands, and they're disappearing. About 2,000 square miles have been lost since the 1930s. That's about 80 percent of the nation's wetland losses. "We're not going to wait on world leaders ... We're doing it now," Peterson said. With Theresa Dardar, they're part of the Greater New Orleans Interfaith Climate Change Coalition, which includes leaders from multiple faiths. They've also worked with the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians. In 2020, the group filed a complaint to the U.N. in Geneva, saying the U.S. government violated their human rights by failing to act on climate change. (Source: NOLA.com 11/02/21) In Louisiana, faith groups increasingly join fight against climate change | Hurricane Center | nola.com