Uppsala, Sweden  - A manifesto calling for more cuts in greenhouse gas emissions was signed Friday in Uppsala cathedral by some 30 religious leaders and policy-makers invited by Swedish Archbishop Anders Wejryd.

Prior to the signing, the leaders held a roundtable discussion and noted that most religions have a "local presence" that helps them relate to "the fragile situation" of people impacted by flooding or other effects of climate change, Wejryd said.

Religions could also stand "shoulder to shoulder" and "defend the rights of both humans and creation," he said.

The evening service capping a day of meetings and seminars included church bell ringing, Buddhist gongs, a Sami yoik (chanting from northern Europe's Sami people), and recitations in Hebrew, Sanskrit, Tibetan as well as traditional hymns marking the different faith traditions gathered.

Earlier, Wejryd said faith traditions and religions can provide a key source of hope in global efforts to tackle climate change.

Swedish Crown Princess Victoria formally opened the two-day meeting in Uppsala, north of Stockholm. Speakers included the archbishop, Professor Oren R Lyons of the Native American Indian Onondaga tribe, Professor of History Hava Tirosh-Samuelson of Arizona State University and Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren.

Wejryd said several delegates who supported the manifesto were unable to attend the gathering as a result of current events in Mumbai, India and Bangkok, Thailand.

Wejryd told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa he was to present the manifesto at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland that opens Monday. The Poznan parley was part of efforts to forge a new climate deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012.

The 3-page manifesto highlighted the need to support decision- makers as well as "inform and inspire people in our own religious cultural contexts to take responsibility for and to implement effective measures," the text said.

"We hope that this (meeting) begins another era of cooperation across the faiths," said JNK Mugambi of Kenya, who represented Africa on the World Council of Churches working group on climate.

Bishop Sofie Christensen of Greenland, the mainly ice-covered island that has often served as an illustration of global warming, said the meeting was "very important."

"Everyone has responsibility for the Earth," she said. "Life is so important and we have to take care.

"We have to act in Greenland too," Christensen said noting the many cars in the capital Nuuk and the use of oil and gas.

Charanjit Ajit Singh, a Sikh, and head of the International Interfaith Centre in Oxford, Britain, said she hoped "the words are actually changed into meaning."

Professor Liu Xiaogan, a Daoist, currently visiting professor at the Pacific School of Religion, San Francisco, said the environment was linked to people's lives, "the values they are pursuing."

The rapid economic growth in China presented a "dilemma," Liu said, noting that "the planet cannot afford another America, even half."

In his remarks in the cathedral, Wejryd noted that "change can be costly for those who dare to take the lead. It makes a difference for them if they have support from people within religions and faith- traditions."

In addition, there was a "our own responsibility to speak into our own religious communities," the archbishop said.

Carlgren said faith traditions were important in mobilizing hope and said "if we want to avoid fear we must act."

Earlier, Carlgren and European Union Commissioner Margot Wallstrom told reporters that the interfaith gathering could help push politicians and offer other perspectives on lifestyle and ethics.

Some 50 seminars and lectures were to be held on the sidelines of the meeting on issues like climate change and conflict, sustainable environment, and how different faith traditions view climate change. (dpa)