COMMENT by Luke Wilson

In the wake of Copenhagen, it’s easy to feel like we’re spinning our wheels when it comes to climate change. I certainly do. This response is natural, as the problem seems too overwhelming for even heads of state to take action on – and too complex for one person to understand, let alone affect change. Often I feel like there is no hope. So how do we as Christians respond to yet another failure from international politics? Where do we find hope and perspective in the midst of this discussion? I believe our hope must be based on a holistic understanding of the biblical story and what God is doing in the world.

The Bible understands that those who follow Jesus as Lord are led straight into relationship with him, and then into the restoration of all their relationships – personal, social and with the wider creation itself. Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”

Markku Kostamo, executive director of A Rocha Canada (an international Christian conservation organization), says understanding that the earth is the Lord’s points to the lordship of Christ over all creation. This is what mission is all about: proclaiming the lordship of Christ in our messy, day to day lives, including our relationship to creation. Simply put, the earth is the Lord’s, and we are his caretakers or stewards.

Our activity in caring for the planet is not driven by guilt. Rather, it is out of obedience that we take care of what he has made. So, to live lightly, to steward creation well, is just a normal part of Christian life and not a fringe activity or fad.

How climate change fits in

This past December, Brendan Bowles was stuck in the queue waiting to get into the Copenhagen Summit. Brendan works for an A Rocha group called Climate Stewards. The lesson Brendan came away with from this gathering was that governments are not going to take the risks to move forward on climate change unless their electorates believe the issues are important enough.

Based on what he saw at Copenhagen, Bowles believes the tide of climate change will not be turned through political action alone, because leaders do not have the political will or national support to act. Therefore, there is a unique opportunity for the church to be salt and light in this critical area. We can affect change through prayer, through our own actions and through influencing others to act.

Certainly, each of us can become informed and then pray. For instance, we could research and then pray about what would happen to many coastal towns if water levels around the world do rise. It is estimated that a sea level rise of just 20 cm could create 740,000 homeless people in Nigeria alone. (UNFCCC)

It’s no wonder, then, that the UN predicts that environmental refugees (people who are displaced because of environmental degradation) will, increasingly, by far outweigh the number of refugees displaced by conflict.

Climate change is already affecting millions around the world. Most climate scientists blame the recent droughts in the semi-arid regions of Africa in large part to climate change. For subsistence farmers in places like Sudan and Ethiopia, the droughts are devastating and mean the difference between life and death. (See OneWorld.net for information on the impact of climate change on the global South.)

With a little research, it becomes clear that climate change affects the poorest in the world the most. This fact has direct implications for those of us living in the global North, challenging our extravagant use of resources because of our addiction to materialism and individualism.

Continue article >>

In A Rocha, it is our team members in the developing world, working in places like Kenya, Ghana and India, who understand this fact the best. They are calling us to what Jesus called us to: to love our neighbours and to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God. They are calling us to change – to live lightly and justly.

Once inspired, we must act

We are moved into action by this holistic faith, understanding that the earth is the Lord’s and that we declare the Lordship of Jesus by letting him bring us into right relationship with God, others and creation. It is true that one person can only do so much, but all those ones doing their part will participate with what the Holy Spirit is doing by breaking into the world with signs and footprints of hope.

For ideas on how to start living more lightly, I turned to Ben Lowe’s book, Green Revolution: Coming Together to Care for Creation. Ben worked for A Rocha in the United States, and now he is running for Congress. In addition to giving a good biblical groundwork for creation care, he offers simple advice for individuals hoping to effect contagious change.

There are also many good websites that give ideas on actions to take. Try OneClimate.net, arocha.org or howstuffworks.com.

Here are a few examples of how you might lessen your carbon footprint. You could start taking transit more often, shop for local food, take shorter showers or cut meat out of one or two meals each week.

The options for personally living more simply are myriad, as are options for getting involved in collective action. This might be stewarding a local stream or organizing composting in your neighbourhood. Whatever it is, acting together can give steam to the engine of our convictions and carry us forward. Finally, work at effecting change in governing bodies such as your government or an organization. Write letters to organizations and governments if you see problems, inconsistency or lack of action.

As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to act, but please do keep the end purpose in mind. Our hope doesn’t lie only in our own actions, but in what God is doing in the world. A friend said it better than I could have: How we treat the environment should be completely integrated with our faith and our ability to see, worship, love and serve God.

The lack of meaningful action at Copenhagen raises important questions about how societies can effect change. As Christians, our hope is connected to a God who brings more than societal change. Ultimately, our hope is based in Jesus and the knowledge that his death and resurrection are reconciling all things to himself (Colossians 1:20).

But God seems to act through his followers: Jesus told his disciples they were like the tiny amount of yeast that makes the whole loaf rise. It is time for Christians to connect their sense of mission to love God and their neighbour with a holistic understanding of God’s redeeming plan for this creation we live in. Caring for creation is one vital way to be involved in God’s redemptive story.

Resources:

Watch the documentary titled Home on YouTube.
Check out the interactive map: www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/en/ambition/evidence/4-degrees-map
Read Green Revolution by Ben Lowe.
Check out www.arocha.ca on creation care.

Luke Wilson (24) currently works for A Rocha Canada as community relations coordinator. He is excited about helping people move towards action projects that positively impact the environment and affect behavioural change. He can be reached at luke.wilson@arocha.org.

Options - Spring 2010