Last July, the Knowledge Centre Religion and Development organized an international panel on religion, development, and climate change. The panel took place at the University of Amsterdam. It was part of the conference 'Religion, Nature, and Progress', an initiative of the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture. 'Responding to Climate Change: Religion and Southern Perspectives on Light Development,' was the title of the panel. IPCC member Hans Opschoor (Institute of Social Studies, The Hague) chaired the panel.

Basa Magogo
Attie van Niekerk, director of the South African development organization NOVA (an ICCO partner), opened with a case from the practice of development cooperation. Van Niekerk showed how 60.000 low income households are currently helping to lower carbon dioxide emissions. They do this through a clever adaptation of their traditional way of cooking on fires in empty paint cans.

The technique is called 'making fire like grandmother' (basa magogo). With coals, wood, and paper stacked for optimal combustion, the improvised stoves produce significantly less smoke and carbon dioxide. Van Niekerk attributes the success of this simple change in the fuel stacking routine of households to the participative process through which local residents, technical experts, and NOVA staff came up with the idea. The local residents had made clear that people valued cooking on an open fire for religious reasons. A fire draws a family together, they explained, and it helps them to feel connected with their ancestors. This meant that electric stoves would not be used.

By taking the religious beliefs of the local residents seriously, NOVA was able to design a development program that brings significant health advantages, fuel savings, and social capital to local households, as well as lowering the global carbon footprint.

The Basa Magogo program generates carbon emission credits (VERs). With the help of ICCO's Fair Climate Fund, these credits are traded on the voluntary international carbon market. NOVA uses the income from the sale of the credits to extend the Basa Magogo program to more low income households in South Africa.

Light Development
Following the 'best practice' of Basa Magogo, Louke van Wensveen (Knowledge Centre Religion and Development) presented a related policy proposal for Light Development as a trademark for development programs that combine a light ecological footprint with attention to the immaterial aspects of integral human development (i.e., its 'light-like aspects, including religion). By creating a trademark and matching franchise structure around the vision of light development, the development sector can structure a supportive incubation space for programs similar to NOVA's Basa Magogo. Within this space, the networks, procedures, language, metrics, and accountability measures that are appropriate to integral, sustainable development will have greater viability than as isolated efforts within the current structures of the global development sector.

Hindu Perspectives
The second part of the panel featured two Hindu perspectives on the challenge of human development in the face of climate change. Canadian activist and ex-banker Chander Khanna hightlighted how the ancient teachings of the Upanishads inspire development that is both integral and ecologically sustainable. Radj Bhondoe, director of the Seva Network Foundation (member of the KCRD), especially stressed the stark reality of development in today's India. In the previous centurty, his own Hindu community in Surinam saw enormous improvements in their material condions of life. Such material succes will simply not be possible for all low-income people in India today.

A Southern perspective on light development means dealing realistically with the given that there are limits on the accumulation of material wealth. As Khanna pointed out, the Hindu tradition offers resources for dealing with this reality. Artha, gaining material wealth and status, is only one of four Hindu goals of life. For Hindus, the pursuit of a good life can be much broader and includes the options of focusing on the paths of virtue (dharma) and liberating enlightenment (moksha).

Louke van Wensveen, Oikos