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.

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