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Late last year, my mother asked me to make a collection of statements by various faith groups on the subject of climate change.

She volunteers for the Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), an international, nonpartisan, nonprofit group that is urging Congress to pass legislation to curb U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. CCL foresaw that the world’s religious communities might be a valuable ally.

I agreed to take on this task and began by looking up a number of Christian and Jewish groups on the internet. I was surprised to find almost complete agreement among them. All are concerned about the advancing damage that climate change is inflicting on the Earth and its peoples, all acknowledge that human activities are the major cause of this trend and all believe we should take responsibility for reversing it. Similar themes pervade all of their writings: concern for the poor, the vulnerable and future generations.

Fascinated, I went on to look up documents on the climate by Eastern and other religious groups and by indigenous peoples. Again, I found almost 100-percent agreement among them on the reality and causes of climate change. Following are a few excerpts from the statements I found.