The overwhelming body of scientific evidence regarding Climate Change shows that the environment of our planet is being endangered by human activity.
The Christian story lays out a model of reconnection with an alienated world: it tells us of a material human life inhabited by God and raised resurrected from death; of a sharing of material food which makes us sharers in eternal life; of a community whose life together seeks to express within creation the care of the creator.
Living in a way that honours rather than threatens our planet is living out what it means to be made in the image of God. We do justice to what we are as human beings when we seek to do justice to the diversity of life around us; we become what we are supposed to be when we assume our responsibility for life continuing on earth. That’s how we express and give witness to our relationship with the creator, our reality as made in God’s image.
Today climate change accounts for over 300,000 deaths each year, with 99% of all casualties occurring in developing countries. People in developing countries are suffering despite having done least to cause climate change – and they will be even more gravely affected in the future.
Action is needed now.
With only a short time to go until a new global deal on climate change is to be agreed at the Copenhagen Summit, we are deeply concerned that these people, individuals with dignity and rights, are being ignored in the preoccupation with national short term interests of richer countries. Success is not agreement at any cost.
The agreement will first and foremost be judged by how the poorest and most vulnerable people will fare under its provisions.
Copenhagen must achieve an equitable and binding outcome that reflects the urgency of the climate crisis and ensures effective mid term as well as long term actions
What we face today is nothing less than a choice about how genuinely human we want to be; and the role of religious faith in meeting this is first and foremost in setting out a compelling picture of what humanity reconciled with both creator and creation might look like.
In our minds at the moment is the forthcoming Copenhagen summit and so:
• To the world leaders; you have a moral duty to current and future generations to seize this once in a lifetime opportunity to stop global warming decisively in its tracks, and to set all nations on a path to sustainable and equitable development.
• To the developed countries; with your greater responsibility and capacity you must take the lead by agreeing to significant binding reductions in your greenhouse gases emissions under the new agreement, and by ensuring the provision of sufficient and secure new financing for adaptation, mitigation and low carbon development in developing countries and the international acceptance of accounting regimes that factor in environmental cost.
• To the religious communities; for those involved in the Church of England, the website of the Shrinking the Footprint initiative offers help with such projects, detailed suggestions for both study and action, for the Baptist, Methodist, URC, Congregational and other denominations the Joint Public Issues team materials offer help, and CAFOD gives resources for the Catholic Church.
• To the individual; each of us can reconnect with reality. There are the various specific choices we can make about our refuse, our travel, our domestic energy use. But we want also to underline the need for us to change our habits enough to make us more aware of the diversity of life around us.
The Right Reverend Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester. Church of England
Chair of Churches Together in Leicestershire
The Right Reverend Malcolm McMahon, Bishop of Nottingham. Roman Catholic Church
The Reverend Terry Oakley. Moderator of East Midlands Synod of the United Reformed Church
The Reverend Dianne Tidball. Regional Minister East Midlands Baptist Association
The Reverend Peter Hancock. Chairman of Northampton Methodist District
Major Jonathan Roberts, East Midlands Divisional Commander. The Salvation Army
Mr. Michael Hockaday, Congregational Federation
The Right Reverend Christopher Boyle, Assistant Bishop for the Diocese of Leicester. Church of England
The Reverend John Joe Maloney. Episcopal Vicar for Leicestershire, Roman Catholic Church
This week marks three months until 10:10:10, our ‘global day of doing’ to cut carbon. On Sunday 10th October there’ll be thousands of practical activities all over the world, and we want you to be a big part of it. Visit our 10:10:10 page to find out more.
Maybe you could finally insulate your house, replace that inefficient boiler or use the day to make a lasting change to the way your workplace uses energy. Thinking bigger? Why not team up with others to push for a 10% commitment in your local town or a new cycle lane.
In the meantime, please add your name to the list of people pushing world leaders to put solar panels on their rooftops and enact policies to help their citizens do the same. One has already agreed and another looks very likely. Just imagine how cool it would be to get solar panels back on the White House!the website, but feel free to email us on dayofdoing@1010global.org if you have any questions.
