BK at COP30 : Ethics and Faith – Transforming Communities

Report 1: 10th November – 11th November

Over the next two weeks, around 50,000 delegates are expected to gather in the heart of the Amazon in Belem, Brazil,  to discuss international agreements on climate action.  At such a crucial moment for the future of our planet, the spiritual contribution of the Brahma Kumaris team is more important than ever.  The Brahma Kumaris is one of 4,000 accredited observer organisations and is represented by an experienced team.  The Brahma Kumaris’ response to the crisis arises from a vision and way of life rooted in principles of peace, compassion, interconnectedness and non-violence.

As the Conference got underway on Monday, the Brahma Kumaris team in Belem launched the ‘Climate Wisdom Live Studio’, a series of daily live stream panel discussions designed to share real-time perspectives and updates directly from the Conference.  The Studio will be broadcasting live from the COP30 event every day from November 10th to November 22nd.

In this first report the highlights include our participation in an informal interfaith gathering using the Talanoa Dialogue, contributing spiritual and ethical perspectives to climate finance panels, and presenting on renewable energy interventions at the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Solar Hub. This participation reinforced our core message: the climate crisis is fundamentally a spiritual one that requires a foundation of moral values for lasting global change.

Informal Interfaith Gathering in the Spirit of Talanoa Dialogue
10 November – held at the Lutheran Church in Belem

Maureen Goodman, Programme Dir. Brahma Kumaris, UK, holding a Spiritual Moment with the gathering

This interfaith gathering right at the start of COP30 began with a warm welcome by Rev Romeu Martini and a Spiritual Moment with Maureen Goodman, Brahma Kumaris, who led everyone into silence and said “Let wisdom and divine love touch the hearts of all those who are here for our world.” An introduction by Rev. Henrik Grape, Interfaith Liaison Committee preceded the panel discussion and the small discussion groups based on the Talanoa Dialogue methodology. This methodology leads participants to address the following questions: Where are we?  Where do we want to go? How do we get there?

 Rev. Romeu Martini from the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil, welcomed the participants, “As we come together for COP30, we would like to offer an opportunity for faith-oriented and all interested people to gather and freely share our respective initiatives, concerns and hopes. As faith communities active in climate action, the Talanoa Dialogue will bring us to discuss, as faith communities in relation to climate challenges: where are we?  Where do we want to go? And how do we get there?”

This was followed by a panel that brought together World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee moderator Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Lindsey Fielder Cook from the Quaker United Nations Office, and Nonie Reaño from Brahma Kumaris.

Bishop Bedford-Strohm said: “We are all brothers and sisters and children of God – and we must tell everyone what we have heard from these people who are suffering the most.”

After the panel, participants moved into breakout Talanoa discussion groups, 3 English speaking, 2 Portuguese speaking and 1 Spanish speaking.  Those online on Zoom also had their own breakout groups.

The gathering closed with an interfaith Spiritual Moment and a shared meal for in-person attendees.

Climate Wisdom Studio: Ethics for Climate Finance
10^th November

The COP Climate Wisdom Studio is back for its third year, offering hope-giving and thought-provoking sharings from COP30 delegates.

Dr. Lorna Gold, Director Laudato Sì Movement

First Golo Pilz spoke with Dr. Lorna Gold, Director Laudato Sì Movement, and Maureen Goodman, Director Brahma Kumaris, UK. Then Sonja Ohlsson spoke with Jane Mellett, Church Outreach Manager at Trócaire, and Maureen Goodman.

Dr Gold shared how she felt we are currently caught in a perverse economic logic, where the inaction on fossil fuels, and their continuing subsidies, enables companies to invest in their  future. Also, that the biggest question being faced at this COP seems to be about financial compensation for the countries most affected by climate change and who have contributed the least to it. We need to shift our way of thinking, whilst not losing hope in the current systems, she said, and accelerate what is already happening.

Maureen Goodman, on the topic of ethics, said that ethics provides the framework for working, but they need to be connected to our values. Motivation comes when our inner values and conscience are aligned, and this enables us to change the way we live and show up in the world.

From Left to Right: Jane Mellett, Church Outreach Manager at Trócaire; Maureen Goodman, Programme Director, Brahma Kumaris, UK; Sonja Ohlsson, Brahma Kumaris Environment initiative

Jane Mellett, shared how we need more recognition of the moral and ethical implications of the environmental crisis, and that faith organisations have something to offer here because it has to do with our values, culture and lifestyle choices. She also shared three important aspects from the Laudato Sì document, and how we need more spaces where we can meet, pray and share together as they can be transformative.

Maureen Goodman, said that the more we see that the climate crisis is a spiritual one the more we will become spiritually empowered to make the needed changes. Currently we know what we need to do, but we need to be empowered to do it.

Watch here

Ethics and Faith Transforming Community, National and Global Climate Action
11th November

From Left to Right: Keith Runyan, General Secretary, Quaker Earthcare Witness; Maureen Goodman, Programme Dir., Brahma Kumaris, UK; João Carlos dos Santos, Soka Amazon Institute; Flore Ghetti, Program Coordinator, Soka Gakkai International; Rae Thomas, Legal Counsel for the Grenada Delegation; Lindsey Fielder Cook, Interim Deputy Director and Representative for the Human Impacts of Climate Change Quaker United Nations Office

The side event brought together representatives from diverse faith traditions and organizations to explore how inner values, ethics, and spirituality can guide meaningful and lasting responses to the climate crisis.

Flore Ghetti moderated the session with warmth and energy.  She opened by using the metaphor of a house – just as a strong house needs firm walls and a solid roof, our global climate policies need to be built on the foundation of ethics and moral values. She reminded participants that while discussions take place, the Amazon continues to burn and indigenous peoples face repression, inviting everyone to observe a minute of silence to send love and solidarity to those affected.

Maureen Goodman gave the event’s central reflection, emphasizing the principle that “what is within is reflected without.” She stressed that today’s environmental crisis is, at its core, a spiritual crisis, and that true sustainability begins with a change in consciousness – a return to inner dignity, self-respect, and spiritual awareness.  Maureen called for ethics and conscience to be placed at the heart of decision-making, describing this as the foundation of “sacred activism” – action rooted in love, respect, and compassion for all life.

Keith Runyan reflected on faith as a radical act of love and courage. He spoke of devotion to something greater than oneself and of finding beauty and purpose even amidst suffering – affirming that “faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.”

Lindsey Fielder Cook emphasized that human rights are the language of what is at stake – life, livelihoods, clean water, and shelter. She called for engagement in politics from a place of care and humanity, warning that technological “carbon removal” solutions are not sustainable and that real transformation must address production, consumption, and values.

João Carlos dos Santos shared about the organization’s environmental education programs, which have reached over 20,000 children across the Amazon region. Drawing on the Earth Charter, he highlighted how education can empower the next generation to live responsibly and protect their common home.

Rae Thomas spoke from the perspective of a small island state at the frontline of climate impacts. She described the accelerating intensity of hurricanes, rising sea levels, and unpredictable rainfall patterns affecting the Caribbean, and called for urgent action and increased adaptation finance. She reminded participants that different regions experience climate impacts unequally, but solidarity and empathy must guide global action.

In closing, Flore Ghetti invited everyone to “continue building the ethical house together” – a shared home for all beings, grounded in compassion, courage, and consciousness.

Powering Buildings of Tomorrow: Scaling Renewable Interventions
11th November at the International Solar Association (ISA) Solar Hub

From left to right: Ms. Shabnam Bassi, Deputy CEO & Secretary, GRIHA Council & Director, Sustainable Buildings division, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI); Golo Pilz, adviser Renewable Energy, Brahma Kumaris; El Hadji Diop, NDE, Senegal; Dr. Mridula D. Bhardwaj, Lead Technology Roadmap and Policy, Int. Solar Alliance

From left to right:  Ms. Shabnam Bassi, Deputy CEO & Secretary, GRIHA Council & Director, Sustainable Buildings division, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI); Golo Pilz, adviser Renewable Energy, Brahma Kumaris; El Hadji Diop, NDE, Senegal; Dr. Mridula D. Bhardwaj, Lead Technology Roadmap and Policy, Int. Solar Alliance

This panel discussion at the COP30 ISA Solar Hub focused on the critical role of the built environment in achieving global net-zero aspirations and the energy transition. In essence, the panel summarized the existing technology and policy requirements needed to move the building sector into an era of sustainable, renewable-driven urban transformation.