Climate and sustainability as COP26 approaches

Creation is in crisis. As our lives have become increasingly unsustainable, they are causing irreversible changes to the delicate balance of climate and ecosystems which God entrusted to us, and the people who have contributed the least to the problems are suffering the worst of the effects.

We need to change our collective mindset, act radically now, and pray for God to bless our efforts to redeem what is being lost, before it’s too late. He is a redeeming God, and if we turn from our ways, he will heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

What can I do?

Here are some pointers. Most importantly, let’s pray that God will lead us.

Learn and worship

Watch HBC’s Climate Sunday service (Jan 2021):

Read more from Tearfund about:

More from Tearfund on this

See also:

A Rocha UK
Baptist Environmental Network

Use the new Doxecology album from Resound Worship to help you worship and respond, and come to a free live Doxecology worship evening on Monday 1 November at 7.30 pm at Northgate Church.

Reduce your carbon footprint

Some lifestyle changes have a lot more impact than others. Most of the more effective changes are in the areas of eating, heating and transport.

Giki Zero is a great place to see your footprint, browse lots of ideas, sign up to ones you feel you can do, and get points.

Mike Berner’s Lee’s book “How Bad Are Bananas?” is an accessible, brilliant read, helping you distinguish the trivial from the significant.

Push for change

Individual changes by people who care are a great and necessary response to God’s call, but they won’t be nearly enough on their own; we need all of society to change, and much greater action from governments than we have seen so far.

See what Cheshire West and Chester Council is doing and sign up to email updates. Their “Climate Emergency newsletters” sometimes link to consultations where you can make your voice heard. It’s important that Christians and those in favour of significant change do contribute, to balance others who will object to anything that threatens their existing way of life.

We don’t have an opportunity to vote any time soon, but we can still write to our elected representatives and make our voices heard.

If God is calling you to more direct action, Christian Climate Action (linked to Extinction Rebellion) may be the place to start, and their book “Time To Act” will inform and inspire.

This was posted on 17 October 2021.