At the recent meeting of the Scottish Episcopal Church General Synod, there was a presentation on the Provincial Net Zero Action Plan and in the motion concerning its adoption, Canon James spoke. This is what he said:
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I am encouraged by many of he words that I find in the plan before us, but …
The Environmental Crisis is very much more than global warming and CO2 emissions hardly scratch the surface of the problem. The elephant in the room is that at it’s heart, the crisis arises from the abuse of God’s creation and in particular the over-consumption in the developed world and our consequently broken relationship with our neighbours worldwide, especially the poor and those in less developed countries.
Global warming and other forms of environmental degradation aren’t simply caused by using the wrong technology for energy generation. This is an inconvenient truth, frequently glossed over, because it needs real change, rather than attempting to ‘green up’ business-as-usual. The values and vision section doesn’t even hint at this.
There’s a radical inequality in how the earth’s resources are used. The awkward reality is that there’s no solution, that isn’t underpinned by substantially reduced consumption in the developed world. Our lifestyles result from using more than our fair share of the gifts of God’s creation, a free gift held in trust by each generation. Our high rate of consumption produces environmental problems and the rest of the world faces the most severe consequences.
As Christians shouldn’t we treat the resources of the world as part of our relationship with God. Our access to and exploitation of them isn’t a right. Gratitude is central to our faith, thankfulness for God’s grace and generosity key features of that relationship and our discipleship.
Social justice is a central value in all of this. Christian leaders such as Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis have pointed out the link between environmental destruction and poverty, between ecological justice and social justice:
“A church that neglects to pray for the natural environment is a church that refuses to offer food and drink to a suffering humanity. A society that ignores the mandate to care for all human beings is a society that mistreats the very creation of God. It is tantamount to blasphemy.”
Patriarch Bartholomew I
“We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but with one crisis both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an approach combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.”
Pope Francis in “Laudato si”
The environmental crisis is a series of inter-related difficult and complex problems, that none of us has the answer to. Pope Francis writes in Laudato si:
“To seek only a technical remedy to each environmental problem which comes up is to separate what is in reality interconnected and to mask the true and deepest problems of the global system.”
Pope Francis in “Laudato si”
When faced with difficult and complex problems, the people of God have historically turned to God in Prayer and Lament. In an age where much of the prevailing narrative is that humanity can overcome all problems by scientific endeavour or technological advance, it’s counter-cultural to suggest that perhaps an important part of our response is to turn to God rather than engage in ceaseless activity. However Christianity has never shied away from being counter-cultural has it?
We can be easily convinced that solving the environmental crisis is simply a matter of acting differently, more effectively, more sustainably or taking more action. But let’s not forget that human action led to the crisis in first place. So surely our approach has to start and end with God, as theologian John Zizioulas wrote:
“If faith is about ultimate things, about life and death issues, this particular problem certainly falls within that category. … Church and theology must have something constructive to say on a matter like this. Otherwise they risk being irrelevant and unable to live up to their own claim to the Truth. For a truth which does not offer life is empty of all meaning.”
John Zizioulas
Can our rather technocratic strategy help us to bring hope to an anxious world through the resources of the Christian faith and what makes us church? What is our hope-filled vision for the rest of the world?
As Christians we have a responsibility not only to take action to contribute less to the problem, but to be prophetic voices in the world. In the words of Walter Brueggemann we have a threefold prophetic task:
“The prophetic tasks of the Church are to tell the truth in a society that lives in illusion, grieve in a society that practices denial, and express hope in a society that lives in despair.”
Walter Brueggemann
Scottish Episcopal Church - Dornoch, Lairg, Brora, Tain & Tongue 