Environment
Welcome to the Environment Section.
We believe that we have a biblical basis for caring for our world. "The Earth is the Lord's" (Psalm 24:1) and God has entrusted it to us to look after on his behalf.
As Christians our calling is co-operation with God in conserving and developing the environment for the common good of our own generation and also future generations.
The national Church has committed itself to a Carbon Reduction target of 80% by 2050 (in line with Government commitments) with a target of 42% by 2020
"For the Church of the 21st century, good ecology is not an optional extra but a matter of justice. It is therefore central to what it means to be a Christian." Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Climate Change is perhaps the most important issue facing our world today. It is not only an environmental issue but as the Archbishop of Canterbury says this is the foremost moral issue of our time, especially because it is the poor of the world who suffer most through it.
The scientific community agrees that climate change is happening and that human activity is almost certainly the cause. The consequences are that sea levels have gone up, sea ice is melting, habitats are changing, floods and droughts are on the increase. Our television screens bring the reality of climate change regularly right into our homes and it will happen more and more.
As Christians we have a responsibility to be wise stewards of God’s world, to care for it and all creatures who depend on it for their existence. We can all try to learn more about the causes and the consequences, adapt our lives to reduce our carbon footprint, recycle more and buy recycled goods (there is no point in recycling if we aren’t prepared in turn to buy items that have been recycled), we can lobby our MP’s, we can pray.
How about including care for creation every week in the Intercessions?
We pray that we, and the nations of the world, may learn to live sustainably in your creation…….
Give us grace to inhabit your creation with reverence and with joy, and so to live in it that it may be sustained for the good of all.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Information about Climate Change
Climate change myths and misconceptions - ACT ON CO2
Download Met Office “Climate Change – your essential Guide”
Download Cafod's Climate Change - why it matters
Briefing Papers written by Sir John Houghton on Climate Change. Sir John Houghton was chairman of Scientific Assessment for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Director General of the UK Meteorological Office, and Professor of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Oxford.
Take Action
Many organisations are encouraging us to take action and campaign about Climate Change. Why? Because as Christians we are called to speak up against injustice and to be stewards of God's world. Campaigning may involve sending a postcard to the Prime Minister, it may be emailing or writing to our MP to ask them to support something, or to find find out their views. There are even some Apps now for mobile phones which allow you to support various campaigns. Terafund have one called 'Start Badgering' and is free to download. Click on the links to find out more about how to take action.
The Environment Task Group
The group has been set up with two roles:
- To make care for creation a greater part of our Christian worship and witness
- To adopt more sustainable lifestyles in relation to energy and waste
The convenor of the Task Group is Colum Goodchild.
For someone to talk to your PCC or Church about Climate Change contact Colum Goodchild who can put you in contact with someone from the Group.
For information about Local Church Environmental Projects in our Diocese click here
Environment Dates for your Diary
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by environmental issues. How can we as individuals ever influence or change what's happening to our planet, our home given us by God to care for? Generous is a site with ideas, news, and information about how small actions by lots of people can make big changes.
A small idea from the Generous web site: "If everyone in the UK gave up meat for one day a week, the reduction in greenhouse gasses would be like taking 5 million cars off the roads".
Visit their website for more ideas and ways of joining in. www.generous.org.uk/
Earth Hour 2011 say 'Thank you' for making it a massive success. Can we keep it going for more than an hour?
On Saturday 26th March at 8.30pm, billions of people around the world switched off their lights for one hour – WWF’s Earth Hour to show they care about climate change.
For more information go to Earth Hour's website and discover what happened and how we can do more.
Cherish your churchyard : Caring for God's Acre
Cherish Your Churchyard Week is taking place between Friday 18th June and Sunday 27th June 2011. Information about how to take part in this national project is on the Caring for God's Acre website.
Caring for God's Acre aims to inspire and support local communities to care for churchyards and burial grounds in a way which benefits both people and wildlife. It is interested in: Preserving heritage, Conserving wildlife, and Involving communities.
World Environment Day
a worldwide celebration of positive action for the environment as part of the United Nations Environment Programme. This year's theme FORESTS: Nature at your service.Discover the opportunities provided by our forests.
Click here to go to the website to discover what happened in 2011
Prayers for the Environment
To download CAFOD's prayers for the environment click here or go to their website www.cafod.org.uk/worship/environment
Click here for the Christian Ecology Link "Green Pointers for Preachers"
Click here to see some photos of The Wave in London which was joined by people from our Diocese.
Before the start of the march there was an Ecumenical Service in Westminster Central Hall where Archbishop Rowan Williams spoke about the need for us as God's people to both care for and rejoice in creation.
To read or listen to his talk click here.
Links:
Climate Durham: www.climatedurham.org/
Transition Durham: www.transitiondurham.org.uk/
Shrinking the Footprint: www.shrinkingthefootprint.cofe.anglican.org
Christian Ecology Link: www.christian-ecology.org.uk
Operation Noah: www.operationnoah.org
A Rocha UK: www.arocha.org/gb-en/index.html
Durham Local Food Network: www.durhamlocalfood.org.uk/
Churches Together: www.ctbi.org.uk/CJ/10
Click here to go to the Resources section of this website where there is a section on the Environment giving more information about other relevant websites and their links.
More information within this section