The Path of Hope: A Study on Climate Action for Faith Communities is a discussion series built around four 15-minute videos.
The videos feature interviews with US faith leaders; representatives of impacted communities from the global South; and presentations by UN officials and other experts. The videos walk viewers through four key climate policy issues—loss and damage; climate migration; adaptation; and just transition—that intersect with universal faith concerns for vulnerable and marginalized people.
Each video features a consistent “cast:” four Americans attending COP25 representing faith-based organizations, who share their policy insights alongside poignant personal reflections. Most of the video content was shot at the 2019 United Nations climate negotiations in Madrid, Spain (COP25). The title “The Path of Hope” is taken from the remarks of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the opening of COP25, in which he described humanity’s choices in the coming decade as “the path of surrender” and “the path of hope.”
Unlike many, if not most, faith-based climate studies, The Path of Hope does not articulate concepts of “creation care.” Instead, the series focuses on how climate change is impacting the core ministries of faith communities around the world, how those impacts will increase in the future, and why these impacts create an imperative for people of faith to advocate for strong US climate action in 2020.
The Path of Hope includes a discussion guide that asks participants to think deeply about how their own local faith community’s direct service programs intersect with climate impacts, and how knowledge and experiences gained through these programs might help to inform climate policy. The study’s Action Center provides practical, step-by-step instructions for advocacy activities, as well as recommended policy asks for local, state, and national leaders. The Action Center includes a reporting form so participants can log their legislative interactions.
The Path of Hope is responsive to calls from many Americans of faith who want to move from personal environmental stewardship to climate policy advocacy. It clarifies the often-obscure language of global climate negotiations, and demonstrates the critical need for strong US climate leadership, especially headed into COP26.
The Path of Hope was made possible through Texas Impact’s partnership with two secular organizations. Financial support from the US Climate Action Network allowed Texas Impact to bring a videography team to COP25 to gather the raw material for the video series. The video team were granted media credentials through a reporting partnership with The Austin Chronicle. Through this partnership, Texas Impact provided daily video content on the COP for the Chronicle’s website.