Global Warming - July 18th 2006

Hot on the heels of the future

July 18^th 2006.

I?ve just done the global footprint quiz at www.myfootprint.org . I have discovered that if everyone lived like me we would need 4.9 planets!

This is written on the eve of what is expected to be the hottest July day ever recorded, during the fourth heatwave of the summer. By the time it is read there may well have been thunderstorms and flash flooding which is about as bad as it gets for us in terms of the consequences of global warming. At the same time the price of crude oil is going through the roof (because of problems in the Middle East) yet nobody is reporting any change in motoring habits. Jeremy Clarkson mocks those who opt to buy the energy saving Toyota Prius, and other energy efficient vehicles seem to lack street cred. It seems that we are responding very slowly to the problems of global warming and that we are very reluctant to alter our lifestyle.

Rising global temperatures will bring changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and more frequent and violent extreme weather events. The effects will be felt here in the UK, and internationally there may be severe problems for people in regions that are particularly vulnerable to change. Melting icecaps mean there are some low lying areas in danger of disappearing underwater, from Pacific islands like Tuvalu, to cities like London and countries like Bangladesh.

There is an irony in thinking that we can?t make any difference to the future of our planet ? that, we who have the power (energy) see tha we have such little power to make the necessary changes. Christian prayer is well used to encompassing the needs of all people. Entertaining those needs in prayer should be enough to make an effective difference to our practice. Praying for our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh should be enough to make us want to shrink our footprint. Simply to restore the world?s balance we need to cut carbon emissions worldwide by 60% of current levels by 2050. That means praying for future generations.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has said ?For the Church of the 21st Century, good ecology is not an optional extra but a matter of justice. It is therefore central to what it means to be a Christian.? The Church of England is engaged in a National Energy Audit, Measuring our Footprint, seeking to fulfil the General Synod motion encouraging all dioceses and parishes to reduce their consumption by a measurable amount. Parochial Church Council members will be measuring the footprint made by our two church buildings and will then be asked to take on the responsibility of reducing that footprint.

One of the Five Marks of a Church shaped for Mission is

To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth