Urgency and change

 Recent weather catastrophes have made the arguments for addressing the climate crisis more urgent. As the Guardian editorial on 25 July 2021 commented : "Reminders that our planet is wilting under the impact of human-driven climate change have been hard to avoid this month." (SOURCE) The problem is clearly political as well as an economic, as the Guardian editorial goes on to say: "This terrifying prospect has come about because politicians and business leaders have failed, for several decades, to appreciate the risks involved in massively interfering with the make-up of our atmosphere and to instigate measures to limit the damage." 

The institutional resistance to ecologic change appears to be deeply embedded in services that seem normally to be highly trustworthy. For example, on Saturday 24 July 2021 the Guardian reported: "A former police officer who is now a prominent climate crisis campaigner has accused the Metropolitan police of attempting to recruit him to spy on Extinction Rebellion." (SOURCE)  The Guardian goes on to say: "The police are believed to be gathering vast amounts of information about XR activists, whom Patel has branded as criminals who threaten the 'UK way of life'." In a sense Patel is right. The current way of life needs to change to sustain life on this planet long term.

This blog is unpolitical, but it can recommend that parish members consider how political parties plan to address ecological issues, and how likely they are to carry through on their promises. Our individual contributions to protecting God's creation inevitably have a political aspect that we should not forget.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Small steps matter

Small steps matter. It is not unusual for people to say that an Eco-friendly idea is too small to make any difference. In fact taking small steps not only shows an important symbolic commitment toward protecting the environment, but small steps can in fact make a difference in the long run. There are sites such as "My Climate" ( LINK ) that will help to calculate the cost.  One of the small steps that everyone can take is to reduce meat consumption. A completely vegetarian or vegan diet is not necessary to make a difference, and there are plenty of sources of good protein in the plant kingdom The Eco Church committee has long talked about providing some environmentally friendly recipies. Here is one for crispy Tofu: Tofu comes in many forms, some softer than others. It also comes with different seasonings. For this recipe seasoned and relatively firm tofu is best, meaning that it was squeezed to reduce the water content. The next steps are simple: dry the tofu with a towel, c
Read more

Church of England Eco church web

  The Church of England is actively committed to promoting "care for God's creation through their worship, buildings, land, community engagement, and individual lifestyles." Here is a LINK to the full official statement on the website. St. George's Anglican / Episcopal church in Berlin has made the same commitment. One of the purposes of this blog is to offer parish members a source of current information about environmental matters.  Our  Preußenallee  building  is under "Denkmalschutz", which protects the original architectural design. While this is an advantage, it also limits what we can do to the physical plant. The Eco Church committee will look at how to make the building and grounds more ecologically friendly, but we should also remember that there is much we can do in our private lives to act in ecologically responsible ways.  --Michael
Read more