Description:

Spiritual and faith-based communities -- many of whom serve or are of underrepresented groups -- have long been engaged with and active on environmental concerns. Today, spiritual/faith-based environmental organizations are leading local to international efforts. Many of these in turn are led or organized by professionals and scientists within the Weather, Water, and Climate (WWC) Enterprise who have a spiritual or faith-based identity. Increased collaboration between the WWC Enterprise and spiritual/faith-based organizations stands to mutually enhance the efforts of both communities. Yet, many of these efforts are largely unspoken of, because of the lack of a space within the WWC Enterprise to discuss, explore, and understand these opportunities.

This session will highlight initiatives by spiritual/faith-based communities and organizations in environmental research, science communication, and policy/advocacy and explore their intersection with the WWC Enterprise and opportunities for partnership.

We welcome research, proposals, and experiences on topics such as (not limited to):

• Partnerships and initiatives with environmental institutions and spiritual/faith-based communities and organizations on a local, regional, state, national, and /or international-level.
• Communicating science and environmental issues to spiritual/faith-based communities
• Environmental risk communication and spiritual/faith-based communities
• Intersection of environmentalism, spirituality, and policy
• Environmental Justice
• AMS initiatives on creating spaces for scientists and professionals of spiritual/faith-based identities
• Other topics on the spiritual/faith-based environmentalism and collaboration with WWC