What is happening in our world?

The news on climate change is moving fast, and it covers many areas from faith, to science, politics, business, nature, power development, effects on people... Many think it is all ‘bad news’, and much of it is, but some things are quickly changing for the better.

Oil and gas are our biggest polluters and the oil companies are desperate for humanity to continue to rely on them. However, the latest figures show that Green Energy production globally is growing fast and is likely to reach 75% of our global energy production by 2030. China, India, Ethiopia, Europe and even the USA are investing in wind and solar power. These are the big spenders, and we as individuals need to push forwards on buying green energy, or even better – generating it.

Business is becoming another fast investor in the Green market across the world, from smaller developing companies, to large international ones; from the products we would recognise on our food shelves; to new standards and accreditation schemes. Everything matters.

Biodiversity is still falling in the UK, from the soil microbes to the insects, wild flowers, birds and animals that used to surround us. The figures show, we are losing our nature, but we can still preserve most of our world nature, if we as a world community act now. The State of Nature Report 2023 says “Nearly one in six species are threatened with extinction from Great Britain.” State of Nature 2023 - report on the UK’s current biodiversity

One vitally important aspect of this, is care of our soil. Just one double handful of good, organic soil, holds more microbes than there are humans on the planet. And in Genesis 2:7 The Lord God formed man from earth; the ground, which we, and all nature rely upon. So, we as humans, are biologically and in faith highly related to the ground beneath our feet.

Creation as described in Genesis 1 is amazing, but there are many passages within the Bible mentioning our relationship with the earth. Science tells us the Universe was created during The Big Bang, a massive explosion of energy, which the scientists still cannot explain. In Proverbs 8 22-31, there is a wonderful description of Wisdom witnessing the Creation, which seems to align closely with the science we now understand.

However, not all the news is ‘good’ or ‘positive’. Climate figures show the speed of global warming to be well above that which was predicted less than 10 years ago, and many sets of figures would say we are already above the +1.5oC which was a line drawn in the 2015 Paris Agreement, above which we should not go. Even this rise in temperature is causing huge changes in the way our planet works; with the melting of the sea and glacial ice, sea level rises and warming, fiercer storms, flooding, desertification, the loss of wild habitats we and all life rely on; and unless we change how we relate to our planet, the picture is not positive. The real danger is crossing ‘tipping points’, where there is no reversal, and they feed into one another causing a catastrophic ‘waterfall’ of uncontrollable change.

But, we still have a few years before these changes will take place. Scientists would say anything from between 2030 to 2050, the latter being optimistic.

Reading these, and other figures is very frightening, and many people would rather not know; this is known as ‘eco-denial’. For some, the changing picture will incentivise them to try and make a difference; for others it is all just ‘too big’.

The issues around climate change can seem overwhelming, but there are ways we, as Christians can make a real difference, locally and globally, by working with Tearfund, A Rocha, many other charities and organisations, in our parishes, communities, dioceses. And we mustn’t be afraid to talk about the ‘difficult things’ we may face.

It needs all of us, doing what sometimes seems very small actions in our lifestyle to add up and build a change. A lot of snowflakes make a snowball, and a lot of snowballs make an avalanche. We need the avalanche! And we can achieve that.

As Christians, we should have an extra incentive ‘to do our bit’, big or small. This is a creation gifted to us, and so far, scientists have found no other planet like ours in the solar system. The earth went through a series of changes, from a methane atmosphere, dusty dry desert, to hundreds of thousands of years of being frozen solid. But, somehow, deep in the ocean, life survived, and gradually this life started to react chemically, producing a variety of elements, including oxygen, slowly rising to the surface, and creating our atmosphere, changing the land and sea over millions of years to a life-giving planet. How? And Why? We as humans developed from these early life signs, and in God’s time, his son Jesus came to our planet to give us hope; a path to a new heaven and a new earth. A path we need to take.

Thank you to Christine for her thoughts and update, one way you and your church can take immediate creation care action, is to join The Great Switch for Creation launched recently by central church. Find some more detailed information below.