Sikh environment group plants 850 'Sacred Forests' ahead of COP28

New York, Dec 5

Washington-based EcoSikh has planted 850 "Sacred Forests" ahead of the COP28 Climate Summit to spread the message of combatting climate change through environmental action.

EcoSikh's President Rajwant Singh said that the "Sacred Forest" initiative was an effective way to promote climate solutions through ecological restoration while highlighting the Sikh faith's tenets of respecting and nurturing nature.

EcoSikh has been invited to a forum on "Urban Wisdom: Indigenous Knowledge and Governance of Future Cities" on the sidelines of COP28 -- the organisation's programme of working with governments and faith groups to promote environmental action to raise awareness of and find solutions to climate change, Singh said.

On the urgency for grassroots initiatives, especially by faith groups, he said, "We all need to take action urgently in response to devastating rising temperatures. We cannot wait for some entity or government to find solutions to the ecological disasters we are facing."

The 850th "Sacred Forest" with 1,313 trees of native species was completed on Guru Nanak's Birthday in Ludhiana, a city with several environmental problems, Singh said.

EcoSikh, founded in 2009 in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme as the Sikh community's response to climate change, has chapters in India, Ireland, the US, Canada and the UK.