The CCMUP's statement follows an earlier symposium, hosted by The Province of Alexandria for the Anglican Church, that brought together representatives of Al-Azhar and the Churches of Egypt.

The symposium, held on Saturday, comes less than a month before Egypt hosts the 2022 UN Conference on Climate Change (COP27) in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

The participants underscored their "responsibility as religious leaders towards proactively addressing the critical challenge of climate change and environmental pollution."

They also affirmed that both Islam and Christianity exhort us to conserve,  protect and sustain the environment .

The participants in the symposium praised the role of religious institutions (Al-Azhar and the Churches of Egypt) in calling for the preservation of the environment.

They called on wealthy industrialised countries to honour their obligations towards developing countries, to enable them to withstand the impact of climate change along with transitioning to renewable energy.

Developed countries have not yet honoured their pledge – made in the Copenhagen conference – to finance climate action in developing countries with an annual $100 billion.

The statement also encouraged spreading environmental awareness to the young. Parents, it said, should instill in a child's conscience respect for the environment. Both parents and children should act upon the well-founded belief that preserving the environment is a religious, moral and human duty.

The CCUMP emphasised the importance of education and the arts as ways to inspire the young to protect and conserve the environment.

It also underscored the importance of enforcing laws that protect the environment, and called for reviewing legal penalties to ensure they were sound in terms of quantity and quality.

"Law enforcement should work alongside societal initiatives promoting environmental preservation," the statement added.