Above: Reverend Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith and Global Steering Committee member of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, introduces the panel of indigenous and interfaith leaders.
Toronto, Canada
Prominent indigenous leaders from Brazil, Davi Kopenawa and Benki Piyanko Ashaninka spoke about the importance of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative at the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions, the oldest, largest global interfaith event, where nearly 8,000 religious leaders from around the world gathered in Toronto 1-7 November 2018. These indigenous leaders said they urgently need help from religious leaders to deal with the invaders into their territories from extractive industries who are contaminating their water and decimating countless species of plants and animals. Spokespeople from GreenFaith, the Yale Forum on Religions and Ecology, and UN Environment spoke about the global and national level activities of the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative. Link to event video here.
