Faith in Action: Building Interfaith Collaboration for Climate Safety

Yesterday, HfHR’s Vrinda Jagota joined an interfaith panel hosted by New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) exploring “Barriers to Faith Leader Collaboration Around Climate Safety.” Moderated by Rev. Micah Bucey of Judson Memorial Church, the discussion also featured Rev. Karen Pershing of the Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership Coalition and Mychal Johnson of South Bronx Unite.

Together, the panelists reflected on a central question: If our faiths share values of compassion, justice, and stewardship, why is it so hard for us to collaborate on the climate crisis?

Vrinda spoke about the cultural and generational divides that can make collaboration difficult, especially in communities where environmental work may still be seen as secondary to religious practice. “Many young people of faith are deeply committed to climate action,” she noted, “but they sometimes face resistance from within their own traditions. Building bridges means listening across generations and grounding activism in shared values.”

The conversation also highlighted the burnout many faith leaders face, the lack of trusted relationships across communities, and the urgent need to build infrastructure for long-term partnership.

At Hindus for Human Rights, we see climate justice as a moral and spiritual imperative. Rooted in Hindu principles of ahimsa (nonviolence) and seva (service), our work for human rights includes protecting the earth and ensuring the well-being of all living beings.

We’re grateful to NYDIS for convening this space and to our interfaith partners for reminding us that caring for creation is sacred work — and that collaboration is not just possible, but necessary.

#FaithForClimate #ClimateJustice #InterfaithSolidarity #Hindus4HR