ISC Water: Statement on Water-related Spirituality for Climate Adaptation

As a contribution to the COP26 held in Glasgow, UK (November 2021) and to kickstart the Community of Practitioners on Water and Heritage, the Global Center on Adaptation’s Water Adaptation Community (WAC) and ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Water and Heritage (ISCWater) organised on 19 October 2021 an online dialogue among spiritual leaders, to discuss water-related spirituality as a source of inspiration and wisdom to cope with climate change impacts on the water cycle.

The online dialogue was designed as a precursor to the dialogue among spiritual leaders to be held at the UN Water Decade Mid Term Review to be held in New York (2023). During the meeting was issued a statement on Water-related Spirituality for Climate Adaptation.

People have always understood the value of water to sustain life, health, economies and ecosystems. A lot of cultural heritage has been built around water over the millennia. Examples include civil structures for water supply and for defence against water-related perils, for navigation, and for the generation of energy. Societies and religions have developed a multitude of visions, rituals and practices related to water. Despite the abundance of water-related cultural heritage, its significance for present and future climate challenges is not widely recognised. This is partly due to the complexity of our relationship with water, and partly because of disciplinary and institutional divides between water managers and heritage experts.

ISCWater builts bridges between political, professional and spiritual leaders, fosters interdisciplinary research, collection and dissemination of best practices, and encourages the development of guidelines for an equitable and efficient management of water resources.

For the Global Adaptation Summit held in January 2021, ISC Water organised a webinar that articulated how the cultural heritage of water can prove to be a source of adaptive capacity in the face of climate change.

ISC Water: Statement on Water-related Spirituality for Climate Adaptation

See more