Event report: Faith and urban climate action

Knowledge exchange with Footsteps BCF & friends

On 30 April 2025, the Cambridge Interfaith Programme team brought together a combination of guests and interested scholars to consider the broad topic of faith in climate action. The following report was prepared by Noah Rouse, a Faculty of Divinity graduate and alumnus member of Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum.

Following a tour of Cambridge Central Mosque—Europe’s first eco-mosque—the group sat down for a broad discussion around the role of faith and theology in engaging and empowering communities who are widely under-represented in mainstream conversations around climate or alienated by the dominant narratives presented. The practical dimensions of these questions were particularly considered in relation to the launch of a new energy club to address fuel poverty and support climate action at Adam Mosque, with the support of Footsteps (Birmingham Council of Faiths) and the MECC (Muslim Educational Consultative Committee) Trust.

The roundtable began by discussing the place for economically-deprived communities and marginalised actors in the mainstream climate movement and conversations around urban climate action. Building upon the reflections of those from the MECC trust, the group quickly identified that the hegemonic* nature and framing of mainstream climate conversations and movements have lacked a broader awareness of the injustice experienced by many economically-deprived communities and marginalised actors. In many instances, the instabilities caused by economic insecurity, inequality, and intergenerational trauma cause far more immediate concerns and pressing needs than those posed by climate change.

A cultural disconnect

Tasawar Bashir noted that there is therefore a large cultural disconnect between the mainstream climate movement and working class and migrant communities, among others. Further, the group identified that people are sceptical and tired of top-down approaches that operate across pre-existing lines of inequality, especially where the motive and aim of these approaches are not always clear and are disconnected from the lived experience of the communities who are subjected to these approaches.

Dr Anastasia Badder highlighted this in recounting the distrust encountered around the involvement of water companies in CIP research into water use. She also commented how the religious communities engaged in the research tended to be “othered” by those at the water companies, even if individuals at the companies were themselves very observant.

Dr Joseph Powell commented on his experience working with Rastafari communities, for whom environmental protection is a core tenet of theology. Many Rastafari actors are already involved in complex layers of and longings for environmental connection and protection. Yet they are often alienated and not offered representation by the hegemonic* approach of environmental conversations, and then blamed for not engaging.

Professor Esra Özyürek concurred that while there is a broad recognition that the climate and nature crisis is a common issue, movements and conversations often get stuck at the first step, which is assumed to be that we all need to agree on the problem, because there isn’t agreement on the main problem: Everyone’s environment is different and therefore their most pressing concerns also differ.

Crucially, however, this does not mean that economically-deprived communities and marginalised actors are not aware of or engaged in the climate and nature crisis.

Badder explained that the CIP water research found there was already a lot of local community action, but this was limited by a lack of resources and time. Powell also highlighted how a large amount of practical and community-based action occurs, albeit not under the auspices of wider hegemonic climate movements. The group then began to consider how wider engagement of this sort can be achieved.

Effective exhortations

Dr Qiam emphasised how, in both the Qur’an and the Bible there is a strong religious exhortation to be righteous, to take care of others and our environment, which provides a strong motivation for urban climate and social action. Dr Abdul Waheed Pirzada illustrated how Adam Mosque has successfully encouraged its congregation to keep their streets and the streets around the mosque clean amid the Birmingham bin strikes by appealing to the environmental precedent of the Sunnah.

Dr Kelly Fagan Robinson identified resonances between this and her own research on how to engage children and reduce climate anxiety. Her work takes a benefit rather than a deficit model of engagement, focused on getting children to feel empowered and part of a positive, constructive approach.

Dr Tim Winter then reflected how the most successful and engaging ecologically focused khutbas tend to be those which present sustainability and ecological sensitivities as indigenous to Muslim cultures, rather than stemming from Western hegemonies. He highlighted examples in Pakistan, Indonesia, and Morocco which show how religious environmentalism is being fostered outside of alienating and secular top-down Western paradigms.

Access, visibility and tables

The conversation then turned to horizontally expanding the climate movement to include, increase pathways of access, and raise faith community visibility and voices. It was highlighted that people within these communities, especially those who are marginalised actors or from economically-deprived communities already know so much, but they are so frequently disregarded and ignored.

Dr Fagan Robinson commented that there is not a poverty of aspiration, but rather exclusion forces people to become utilitarian about survival, and so are less likely to be represented at the tables where power is normally wielded. Perhaps, the task was then not about making these tables bigger but increasing the number of tables. This resonated with the group, who discussed how faith spaces can work to become more fit for purpose in empowering people and become symbolic of the values that they carry and represent, combining social, ecological, and spiritual awareness.

Saima Rasool explained how faith representation can go beyond faith communities and also start to be a force in the secular world, engaging with non-faith spaces and businesses and creating more representation. Two Billion Strong’s 2024 Muslim Climate Action report, Rasool explained, had found 93% of respondents are concerned about climate change, and 92% believe there is insufficient representation in climate change discussions. Echoing earlier themes in the discussion, this report also found that only 23% of respondents believed that climate change is a priority for the Muslim community.

A MECC visitor reminded the group of the importance of self-reflection on the extent to which religious communities have been culpable in the development of the climate and nature crises, such as how the relationship between this world and the hereafter may have been framed. He highlighted that once communities have undertaken this reflection, then they are in a very strong place for building a more horizontal movement and increasing the number of tables.

Intersectionality & diverse routes to engage

The conversation drew to a close by acknowledging the intersectionality of the climate and nature crisis. Faith communities, by virtue of the nature of religion which touches all aspects of life and because they have the capacity to be thriving centres of communities, can effectively highlight the intersection between climate change and the other traumas and injustices that were discussed earlier in the conversation.

The group considered the importance of engaging young people in this. One way to do this is social media, although the danger of social media increasing alienation and anxiety was recognised. A MECC Trust participant highlighted the importance of not belittling younger generations and also voiced concerns around the effect that repression of protest around current events in Palestine may have on the potential for more powerful environmental movements.

It was emphasised that effective climate action has to challenge the power structures which are causing such immense environmental damage, and also that it must be recognised that these same structures are causing immense humanitarian damage.

Nevertheless, Mazar Dad highlighted that the capacity of local community-led grassroots approach to urban climate action can be very powerful because such action can be integrated into steps to correct decades old inequality in areas such as health, achievement, and deprivation caused by the same unjust power dynamics that are causing climate damage.

He relayed an example from his own work: reconceptualising an eco-motivated tree planting scheme such that households along a street would each plant a different fruit tree, encouraging a future of connectivity and food exchange. Religious communities can apply leverage and encourage these approaches, working with their community and neighbours to build co-curative and collaborative approaches, based on shared values and local goals.

Summing up

The group shared final reflections on practical actions that could be taken. There was general agreement on the ethos of “increasing the number of tables”, as well as their organization and aims, by taking grassroots and community-based approaches led, but not exclusive to, local faith groups.

John Nightingale highlighted how the determined effort of local faith groups can lead to real change. Chris Martin encouraged the development of shared learning and knowledge hubs of inspirational stories, information, and resources which could provide accessible and free guidance on concerted and communal action on things like retrofitting places of worship and energy audits, with faith messaging at the centre. He shared how Footsteps have worked to do something like this with the creation of a set of flashcards.

Formal interfaith encounters are often focused on theological exchange but could perhaps be more focused on practical community action. Representatives of the MECC Trust explained how the energy cafe approach is attempting to move toward the sort of approach discussed, by recognising the local community as co-curators and collaborators.

Bashir identified how the government's aim of large-scale retrofitting projects could be extractive, taking money and resources out of communities. In contrast, MECC is hoping to use this as an opportunity to empower its community, providing training and career progression opportunities.

Other commentators reflected that “there is strength in unity” and “true changes and justice can only be taken from communities taking the lead”.

Postscript: holistic resilience

Abubaker Adam from the VCS Emergencies Partnership was unable to attend. He sent a short, written reflection on practicalities encouraging urban climate action.

Resonating with comments of those at the roundtable, Adam reflected that “In addressing community resilience, it is crucial for mosques [and other faith actors] to adopt a holistic approach rather than focusing solely on climate resilience. Hyper-marginalized communities often face a double impact during major crises.” He further referenced the possibility of conserving water during ablution, and its precedent in the Sunnah, which would prepare the community for potential water shortages—an example that had surfaced in roundtable discussions and within Cambridge water research. By educating the community, delivering practical workshops and simulations, and making an effort to engage younger generations, mosques can integrate climate action into fostering resilient communities.

Across the conversation, the group recognised the vast potential of and existing impediments to faith communities seeking to address the climate crisis. All reiterated that the climate crisis is indeed a polycrisis with complex and multiple intersecting vulnerabilities, exclusions and challenges. At the same time, as the group highlighted, those complex intersections may also offer unexpected and powerful paths forward – including from within and led by religious communities.

Background to this event

This Roundtable and visit was funded as part of the Cambridge Interfaith Knowledge Hub’s partnership working.

The event was designed with representatives from Footsteps BCF: Faiths for a Low Carbon future (footstepsbcf.org.uk), drawing additional input from the award-winning Birmingham charity MECC Trust (mecctrust.co.uk). Other guests included Ms Saima Rasool reflecting on her work with Two Billion Strong (twobillionstrong.com). 

Cambridge contributors were members of the Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum.

Interested to join such cross-sector conversations?

The Knowledge Hub hosts a monthly online conversation between researchers and practitioners working on faith and ecology. Learn more about CIKH’s Communities of Research and Practice.

During 2025, the VCS Emergency Partnership (vcsep.org.uk) is working in four English contexts to explore how faith communities can prepare for and be agents of support in different local crises.

*Hegemonic: the economic, cultural and political dominance of powerful groups.