Uppsala, Sweden
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus and author Peter Matthiessen are among those who have said they will attend an interfaith climate summit being organized by the (Lutheran) Church of Sweden here in November.
The gathering is to take place immediately before a United Nations climate change conference in Poland and aims to deliver a strong ethical and religious message to the political leaders at the UN meeting.
“The future of our planet depends on its climate, and we all need to take responsibility for getting global warming under control,” said Archbishop of Sweden Anders Wejryd in a statement last spring that announced the participation of Mr. Yunus and Mr. Matthiessen.
Mr. Yunus received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work in pioneering small microcredit loans to combat poverty. Mr. Matthiessen, an American Zen Buddhist, is known for his writing about oppressed peoples.
The November 28-29 interfaith climate summit will seek to influence government negotiations for a global agreement to fight climate change after 2012.
