Brewster Ladies' Library Hope, Responsibility & Action: Employing Our Voices for the Earth with Gopal Patel

Globally recognized environmental activist and U.N. consultant Gopal Patel will connect climate action with the broader themes of justice, community, and global cooperation. Drawing from his experience working on the United Nations “Treaty of the High Seas,” Patel will highlight how grassroots voices, interfaith collaboration, and civic engagement can work together to confront climate change and build a more sustainable and equitable future. This event will provide an opportunity for thoughtful dialogue and practical inspiration for all who seek to care for the Earth and strengthen community leadership. Susan Starkey of the Faith Communities Environmental Network will provide a response. Program offered in partnership with the Nauset Interfaith Association.

About Gopal Patel

Gopal D. Patel is a globally recognized faith-based environmental activist, keynote speaker and United Nations consultant who has dedicated his career to bringing the moral voice of religion into conversations about the planet’s future. Guided by his Hindu spirituality, he has worked for two decades to demonstrate how spiritual traditions can help address the world’s most urgent challenges. He has advised the United Nations on engaging religious communities, collaborated with international organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, and led a global Hindu environmental NGO committed to mobilizing grassroots action. Throughout his work, Patel has focused on bridging the divide between faith and public policy, strengthening dialogue between Eastern and Western religious traditions, and ensuring that local communities influence global decision-making.

An accomplished international speaker, Patel has addressed audiences at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at leading universities such as Princeton, Cambridge, and Oxford. His work emphasizes that solving global crises requires a whole-of-society approach in which faith communities play an essential role alongside scientists, policymakers, and civic leaders. Through teaching, convening, and public engagement, he continues to inspire religious and secular audiences alike to work together for environmental protection, justice, and global cooperation. Today, Patel serves as Executive Director and Board President of FutureFaith, a nonprofit that mobilizes faith networks representing over one billion believers for environmental action in partnership with UN agencies, foundations, and interfaith coalitions worldwide. His current work includes a focused engagement with global ocean protection, land restoration and biodiversity conservation. In 2023, he delivered a TED Talk, "The Unexpected Way Spirituality Connects to Climate Change," bringing his vision of faith as a force for planetary healing to a global audience.