Jewish Commonwealth two-pronged plan to battle climate change

Campaign starts with Eco-Shabbat and extending helping hand to small islands; Jews can make a difference, says CLIVE LAWTON, CJC chief executive

THE COMMONWEALTH JEWISH COUNCIL (CJC) called on international Jewish communities to observe an ‘eco-Shabbat’ last weekend, in an effort to help combat climate change.

The Board of Deputies has published a guide on cooking a sustainable dinner and cleaning up in an environmentally friendly way.

It comes as the CJC kicked off the “Small Islands: Big Challenges” campaign, a raft of green measures that all Jews could adopt in order to help protect poorer island nations.

The islands, mostly in the Pacific and the Caribbean, are likely to be most vulnerable to rising sea levels or extreme weather caused by a heating planet.

The growing importance of the issue was highlighted as leaders from around the world gathered at the Cop26 conference in Glasgow this week.

CJC chief executive Clive Lawton explained to the JC the reasoning behind the campaign.

He said: “Two aspects touched us closely. The first is the terrible insecurity of fearing the loss of your home. Most Jews are not much more than three or four generations from such fears and the actual experience.

“The second is the fear of being small and therefore friendless in the international political arena where super-power politics leaves you a pawn in the interplay of far greater forces.

FULL STORY Eco-Shabbat and helping small islands - Jewish Commonwealth plan to battle climate change (Jewish Chronicle)

Photo: Devastation: Aftermath of a tropical storm (CJC)