ICYMI: Biden-Harris Administration, Highlights Faith-and Community-Based Partnerships at Multi-Faith Leader Climate Resilience Roundtable

WASHINGTON – FEMA and the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships co-hosted a Multi-Faith Leader Climate Resilience Roundtable last week. The event brought together more than 25 agencies and organizations to address climate change and convene with faith-based organizations focused on climate resilience. This event helps organizations build local capacity to withstand tomorrow’s hazards. 

"We at FEMA could not do this work without you," said FEMA’s Office of External Affairs Associate Administrator Justin Knighten addressing the event attendees. "With the intensity of disasters on the rise, to get ahead, we need to make an orchestrated effort to work together now and with unshakable commitment. People-centered design and strategies must be our north star." 

In alignment with the White House National Climate Resilience Framework, the Climate Round Table provided a forum for federal and non-profit planning and coordination. 

"Today's climate emergency requires nothing less than a whole-of-government approach," said DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Director Marcus Coleman. "Preparing our communities to be climate resilient in this changing world requires a coalition-driven approach and it will take all of us joining working together to do so now."

The roundtable is a follow up to several previous engagements focused on the intersection of faith-based communities and climate resilience. Attendees included National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Department of Agriculture; Environmental Protection Agency; National Endowment for the Arts; National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters; the Extension Disaster Education Network; Build Strong Coalition of America; American Meteorological Society Committee on Spirituality, Multi-Faith Outreach, and Science; Resilient Nation Partnership Network; and representatives from faith- and community-based organizations and other nonprofits. 

UNITED SIKHS CEO Gurpreet Sodhi highlighted the importance of the event to his organization, "It is essential that we act with urgency and determination to ensure a future where prosperity is safeguarded through resilience, biodiversity, debt sustainability, and climate stability. Collaboratively, we must foster a culture of building and progressing towards a common goal, as we champion the cause of ‘climate justice.’"

The roundtable provided a platform for sharing resources, including FEMA’s Guide to Expanding Mitigation: Making the Connection to Faith-Based Partners and discussing FEMA and other federal agency opportunities that provide technical assistance on climate-related outreach and engagement to facilitate stronger faith and community collaboration.​  

"The American Meteorological Society Committee on Spirituality, Multifaith Outreach, and Science  is pleased to be a part of these important discussions with FEMA," said National Science Foundation American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science & Technology Policy Fellow Carlos J. Martinez, PhD. “As several faith-based communities and organizations have and continue to play a significant role in providing shelter, crisis management, and volunteerism during impactful extreme events, it is imperative that the weather, water, and climate professional community work with faith-based communities to enhance climate resilience. I believe that the foundation for any type of community-based engagement are relationships, and I felt that was the core principle of the roundtable.” 

Roundtable attendees learned about updates on programs, initiatives and activities where the federal government and non-government organizations can work together to lead whole community climate resilience. The following is additional feedback from attendees:

"The climate crisis is pervasive, requiring us to integrate mitigation, preparation, and adaptation into our everyday lives. Capacity building through partnerships is paramount for Tzu Chi's circular economy initiative,” said Debra Boudreaux from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. 

"Faith groups are at the heart of communities throughout the United States and serve as a trusted pathway for setting the stage for climate adaptation, building community-based networks and disseminating information," said Church World Service Director of Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Zach Wolgemuth. "Climate resilience requires a whole community approach that engages the faith community along with the public and private sectors with intensive local participation that is fully inclusive of the unique populations within each community. CWS’s Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery program is committed to leaning into our network partnerships and decades of expertise to ensure the nuanced needs of newcomer populations are included in a whole community approach to climate resilience and disaster preparedness."

FEMA appreciates the collaboration with our partners and looks forward to future endeavors as together we work toward protecting our future and building a more equitable, sustainable and resilient nation.