Religiöse Gemeinschaften und nachhaltige Entwicklung

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin | Religiöse Gemeinschaften und nachhaltige Entwicklung | Newsletter | Newsletter 01/2022 | Webinar and Workshop: African Initiated Churches as Actors for Ecological Sustainability in Limpopo, South Africa on the 5th of November 2021

Webinar and Workshop: African Initiated Churches as Actors for Ecological Sustainability in Limpopo, South Africa on the 5th of November 2021

 

South Africa and especially the province of Limpopo are adversely affected by climate change. Droughts and agricultural losses, as well as air and land pollution, can be felt in the everyday lives of citizens. These circumstances are the important background to the hybrid workshop on the topic of ‘African Initiated Churches as Actors for Ecological Sustainability in South Africa’ at University of Pretoria.

The workshop was hosted by the Theological Faculty at University of Basel, the Faculty of Theology and Religion at University of Pretoria, the Research Programme on Religious Communities and Sustainable Development (RCSD) at Humboldt University Berlin and the University of Limpopo on the 5th of November 2021.

 

 

The webinar discussed to which extent religious communities and especially African Initiated Churches in the region are influential actors for ecological sustainability today and which future steps could be taken to increase environmental awareness and protection. The webinar featured keynotes on eco-theologies, the latest scientific insights on the effects of climate change on public health in South Africa and empirical research on the understanding of climate change in AICs in Limpopo and their ecological activities.

The hybrid workshop was part of the joint research project on “African Initiated Churches as Actors for Ecological Sustainability in South Africa”, which was successfully operated during 2021 by the four organising universities. The research project was funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) in the Leading House Seed Funding Programme 2020 and closed in December 2021. Its preliminary results were presented during the workshop and will be published in future formats.