{"id":1282,"date":"2021-10-05T08:49:36","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T08:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/?p=1282"},"modified":"2021-10-05T08:49:36","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T08:49:36","slug":"returning-to-earth-climate-change-cop26-and-indigenous-voices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/?p=1282","title":{"rendered":"Returning to Earth | Climate Change, COP26 and Indigenous Voices"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0By Graham Harvey<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are now less than a month away from the UK\u2019s hosting of\u00a0<\/span>26th UN Climate Change \u201cConference of the Parties\u201d (COP26). The OU\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>OpenLearn\u00a0site<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is presenting free learning resources about\u00a0<\/span>climate change from different disciplinary perspectives and how that knowledge and experience may explain and inform the outcomes of COP26. Those outcomes are\u00a0<\/span>impossible to predict. Some people remain hopeful that\u00a0global\u00a0transformative action will be agreed on \u2013 and actually implemented this time. Others remain doubtful\u00a0that COP26 will result in their ideal future\u00a0of ecological and social justice and wellbeing.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The magnitude of the challenges and threats facing Earth\u2019s life are impossible to exaggerate. The latest\u00a0<\/span>scientific report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change<\/span><\/a>\u00a0sets matters out clearly \u2013 and\u00a0is refreshingly forthright in its insistence that urgent action is needed\u00a0from governments and others.\u00a0It is also refreshing in not putting the burden of \u201csaving the planet\u201d on individuals alone.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are myriad religious voices addressing the issues.\u00a0Too many to note here. And too varied to summarise. But there is certainly plenty for a student of religion to research, consider and discuss.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My interest in Indigenous ceremonies, festivals and performance cultures has led me to collaborate with the\u00a0<\/span>Border Crossings<\/span><\/a>\u00a0intercultural theatre company. In particular,\u00a0I\u2019m intrigued by\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>ORIGINS Festival of First Nations<\/span><\/a>\u00a0which they organise and host every two years in London. They usually bring Indigenous artists, performers, speakers, films and even chefs to London to engage audiences in venues across the city. The COVID pandemic\u00a0has made the 2021 Festival different: it involves more online events and will continue throughout the year and into 2022.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the 2021 ORIGINS Festival is not all online. Right now, an impressive \u201ctotem\u201d (a\u00a0carved and decorated\u00a0presentation of\u00a0<\/span>the kinship between humans and other species) is travelling across the UK.\u00a0(You can follow the totem\u2019s journey\u00a0<\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.)\u00a0The totem is called\u00a0\u201cLatamat\u201d (\u201cLife\u201d)\u00a0and was carved\u00a0in Mexico\u00a0by Jun Tiburcio \u2013 a Totonac multi-media artist\u00a0\u2013 specifically to take a message to the COP26 meeting in Glasgow.\u00a0A succinct version of the message is that because all life is related we have responsibilities to live respectfully, to the benefit of all our kin, of whatever species. Jun Tiburcio\u2019s eloquence about totem Latamat expands on that theme and emphasises the urgency of the message.\u00a0<\/span>After COP26, totem Latamat will be\u00a0<\/span>ceremonially returned to earth at the Crichton<\/span><\/a>\u00a0near Dumfries. Here, Tiburcio\u00a0<\/span>describes the totem’s elements:<\/span><\/p>\n\nhttps:\/\/originsfestival.bordercrossings.org.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/Jun-explains-Totem-%20Latamat.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Totem Latamat is one intervention into discussio<\/span>ns about climate and environmental concerns. It is distinctive because it comes from an Indigenous artist and his community. It is not only that people like Jun Tiburcio and his Totonac community have interesting ideas about the world and life. They are also among those most immediately\u00a0and devastatingly being\u00a0affected by climate change.\u00a0One example of this is the damage done to\u00a0Totonac homes and homeland\u00a0by a hurricane made\u00a0extreme as a result of\u00a0climate change.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My contribution to the OU\u2019s OpenLearn COP26 Hub<\/span><\/a>\u00a0says more about Totem Latamat. It ends with the thought that the totem is an encouragement to celebrate life. This encouragement is not unique to Indigenous people \u2013 although it is a core theme in Indigenous conversations and ceremonies. It is something that many religious and non-religious people can share. What makes it important now is that it stands in stark contrast to the depressing news of disasters and of the magnitude of the threats facing life. These tend to demotivate people. Encouragement to celebrate our relations and our place in the living community might inspire the urgent actions that will be discussed at COP26.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0By Graham Harvey\u00a0 We are now less than a month away from the UK\u2019s hosting of\u00a026th UN Climate Change \u201cConference of the Parties\u201d (COP26). The OU\u2019s\u00a0OpenLearn\u00a0site\u00a0is presenting free learning resources about\u00a0climate change from different disciplinary perspectives and how that knowledge and experience may explain and inform the outcomes of COP26. Those outcomes are\u00a0impossible to predict. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,36,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-contemporary-religion-in-historical-perspective-2","category-events","category-news-and-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1282"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1285,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282\/revisions\/1285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}