Background of the Genesis Covenant

In June 2007, the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, an Episcopal bishop, attended an interfaith conference on the environment in Seattle, Washington.  The conference sought to build bridges of understanding and cooperation among Christians, Jews and Muslims in order to reach a common expression of support for protecting God’s Creation.

During his sermon at Saint Mark’s Cathedral, Bishop Charleston articulated his vision of a “Genesis Covenant.”  He asked a simple but powerful question: if we, who are people of faith do not act to save this planet, who will do it for us?  Who are we waiting for? 

He challenged people of all religious traditions to imagine the impact of a single, unified effort to reverse global warming by every faith community in the United States.

What if, he asked, every national religious community in America stood up to make a visible witness by reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions by 50%?  How could the world fail to notice?  How could the American media, politicians and corporate leaders fail to be caught up in the tide of hope that such an effort would unleash?  Since the United States consumes so much of the world’s energy, creating a national movement in this country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to make a swift transition to clean, renewable energy would benefit people both here and around the world. To do that, Bishop Charleston challenged faith communities to pledge themselves to do what so many others have failed to do… to make the level of change in greenhouse gas emissions that it will take to slow down the rate of global warming.

He called his vision the “Genesis Covenant” as a way to honor the sacredness of creation as embraced by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike in the Genesis story.  He also felt that this image of the Earth as a garden might appeal to people of other religious traditions as well.  The word “covenant” is an ancient term used to signify a religious pledge made between God and humanity. Therefore, the Genesis Covenant is a pledge made by religious communities to take action to protect the Earth as a holy creation.  

Click here to watch a video of Bishop Charleston's Sermon on the Genesis Covenant given at
Washington's National Cathedral on February 24, 2008

Why is this important now?

The world’s leading climate scientists agree that human activity is changing the global climate in dangerous ways.  When it comes to the science of global warming, the debate is over: human activity, along with natural variability in the climate, is responsible for the dramatic rise in temperatures worldwide.

Our choices make a difference – what we buy, what we wear, what transportation we use, how we heat and cool our homes.  As members of faith-based communities, we have a choice to make. Currently the United States alone uses on average 75% of the world’s natural resources. Our consumption of energy is on the rise. We can either keep on living this way or we can start to take step-by-step responsibility for our actions. 

So to, the related climate crisis invites us to reach out to religious traditions that differ from our own.  Although contrasting and intensely held religious convictions can fuel violence and war, religion can also become a much-needed source of wisdom, cooperation, and moral energy as human beings face potentially catastrophic climate change.  If different religious groups can work together to heal the one earth that we all share, then the healing will extend not only to the planet itself but to our relationships with other human beings.

We stand at a crossroads.  Will we commit ourselves to do what we can to heal the planet?  Will we work together to give our children and grandchildren a world that, at the least, resembles the one into which we were born?  Will we come together for a common cause?

Currently, an international and inter-religious steering committee is being formed to watch over the Genesis Covenant as it continues to make its way through many different communities around the world. This inclusive group seeks to both reflect and respect the wide variety of religious tradition that makes up the Genesis Covenant movement. Names of those serving on the committee will soon be published. The committee will welcome new members as the Genesis Covenant mission expands.