URC THAMES NORTH SYNOD 
ECOLOGY PAGES
What can we do about climate change....?
… in our homes, our churches and our communities?
Informing ourselves
There are a number of major websites offering information and advice:
For the best-attested and most widely-accepted scientific information, www.ipcc.ch will give you the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - “Summary for Policymakers of the Synthesis Report of the IPCC Fourth Assessment” (2007);
Note: many people now think the IPCC’s predictions are conservative and that climate change will happen more rapidly than these predictions and therefore that change in our lives must happen more quickly and extensively.
Christian sites: www.creationchallenge. org.uk is a URC, Methodist and the Baptist Union site – informative on many levels and with many useful links; www.christian-ecology.org.uk for events, resources and information; and www.operationnoah.org, for events, campaigning, the government’s progress and a summary of the science.
I Count – which is the campaign of Stop Climate Chaos, a coalition of more than 30 organisations – i-count.org.uk.
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Welcome to this page devoted to Environmental issues and resources on the Thames North Synod’s website – we hope soon to have a forum for comments and the telling of our churches’ stories, is being developed. Link to the Joint Public Issues Team report on the theology of climate change, Hope in God’s Future (the recommendations are particularly helpful). |
Books and articles :
- A Moral Climate – Michael Northcott
- Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable Living – Nick Spencer and Robert White
- When Enough is Enough: A Christian Framework for Environmental Sustainability – ed. R. J. Berry
- Hell and High Water:Climate Change, Hope and Human Condition – Alistair McIntosh (which was recommended by the Archbishop of Canterbury)
and you can Google :
- “All Creation Groaning” – a Christian Aid paper by Paula Clifford
“Summary for Policymakers of the Synthesis Report of the IPCC Fourth Assessment” (2007)
- “Stern Review Report on The Economics of Climate Change”
- N. Myers – “Environmental Refugees”
- The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Operation Noah lecture, given at Southwark Cathedral, 2009.
In our own lives and homes
Moving into action:
There are basic things that we can all think about – most of them are well known. Further details follow :
If you are a very mobile person, out and about, working, going on foreign holidays – then you can think about:
- does your family really need more than one car?
- can you lift-share to work or to meetings with a colleague or friend?
- next time you change your car, think about diesel fuel, or even hybrid fuel;
- even if you have a car, use public transport or walk as much as possible;
- if you MUST fly for work, or to visit family abroad, make sure you find out about carbon offsetting (see below);
- and if you can, take the train into Europe, or stay in Great Britain for your holidays.
If you are less mobile now, then what we call your “carbon footprint” is already lower – because you probably don’t have a car any longer, or if you do, you don’t use it very much – and you probably don’t use planes either. But there are still things to think about:
- lot of older people do need their heating up quite high, but can you turn it down just 1 or 2 degrees? It won’t make a lot of difference to what you feel like - did you know 1° less can save you about £10 a year and gives off 10 kilograms of carbon dioxide a year less too?
- on’t leave any electrical appliances on stand-by - that can be computers, printers, televisions - turn them off fully and unplug them. Unless it’s the only clock in your house, turn your cooker off too. Did you know that you can SAVE ABOUT £4 A YEAR just by taking your TV off standby when you are not watching it!
- unplug mobile phone chargers - they use electricity even if not actually charging;
- change your electricity and gas supplier to one which invests in energy-saving or even supplies you with some “green” electricity;
- make sure all your light bulbs are energy-efficient ones - soon it will be impossible to buy the older sort anyway - and turn off all the lights you don’t really need on;
- cut down the number of times you eat meat in a week, especially beef - there is a campaign for meat-free Mondays;
- recycle - maybe this is old hat - but don’t let that mean it can be forgotten! Take a shopping bag to the supermarket and cut down on plastic bags.
- next time an appliance packs up and you need a new one, make sure it has an A** rating for energy efficiency - that could save you about £45 a year on electricity compared to your old appliance!
- when you go shopping look at the labelling to find the country of origin - do you REALLY need the apple from South Africa more than the one from England? Eat fruit and vegetables in season - out of season foods have been flown in, sometimes a VERY long way! …
- … and if you are buying paper goods (loo paper, kitchen paper etc) check they are made from managed forestry which plants more trees than it uses.
If you have a garden, some energy, some time (and some green fingers – which is also more than I have) – grow your own food & compost your garden and food rubbish.
I Count have produced a little book Your step-by-step guide to climate bliss – which gives many of these hints and from which the cost implications above have been drawn.
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www.tearfund.org/ share will lead you to a carbon calculator to work out your own carbon footprint, as well as offering lots of good advice and information. |
Other helpful websites are :
www.arocha.org and www.arochalivinglightly.org.uk challenge lifestyles. www.tearfund.org, www.climate stewards.co.uk, www.ebico.co.uk and www.myclimate.org offer carbon-offset schemes; www.sinkswatch.org checks the effectiveness of carbon offset schemes. (See Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable, chapter 7.)
There is some controversy over carbon offsetting; it should not be a way of buying one’s conscience without changing one’s lifestyle but can be useful tool when particular flights, for example, are unavoidable.
For a useful introduction to sustainable living Christianity, Climate Change and Sustainable, especially part 3 “The Christian Response”. Chapter 7, has a number of action boxes.
In our churches
Preaching, teaching and bible study will be at the heart of informing and encouraging our Christian journeys of discipleship and of our responses in the face of many environmental issues.
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A good starting point is celebrating Environment Sunday each year on the first Sunday in June. www.arocha.org will point you to worship resources. Googling Environment Sunday will also lead to past years’ material from arocha and elsewhere. |
Worship and songs from Iona often have concern for creation at their heart and it is worth looking at Wildgoose material.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) put out material on their website for a series of services in September/October each year which they call “Creation Time”. There are now two tracks, one following the lectionary and the other for themed services www.ctbi.org.uk.
The five-chapter Hope in God’s Future study guide could be adapted for a lent course – perhaps with a post-Easter “what can we do” follow-up with the church prayerfully considering the way forward.
Awareness-raising films: The Age of Stupid, An Inconvenient Truth – Transition Towns (see below) recommends others.
To run a day of prayer on climate change and resources for a series of services, Creation Time, (September each year), www.ctbi.org.uk, and follow links for resources, downloads.
For those interested in more academic bible study, there are five volumes in the Earth Bible series, edited Norman Habel (sometimes with a.n. other)
- Readings from the Perspective of the Earth
- The Earth Story in Genesis
- The Earth Story in the Wisdom Traditions
- The Earth Story in the Psalms and the Prophets
- The Earth Story in the New Testament.
Our buildings and the practicalities
When it comes to our buildings we have, at various times, to deal with emergency repairs, refurbishment and redevelopment. An emergency isn’t a time to discuss “green” options – but having the discussion when not faced with emergencies might offer pointers to the right suppliers and professionals when the need arises.
Taking active steps towards sustainable or environmentally-friendly practicalities :
www.communitysustainable.org.uk/page.jsp?id=14 will take you to a list of energy audit consultants. There may be lottery money left in the pot under the Community Sustainable Energy Programme which helps with up to 75% of audit costs if you use an approved consultant. |
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A local church can undertake a simple audit. Follow links on www.methodist. org.uk, or the links to action and toolkit on www.shrinkingthefootprint.org.uk. There is further useful information on www.energysavingtrust.org.uk .
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Many churches have become eco-congregations; if you haven’t worked towards this yet … www.eco congregation.org.uk … there is a module on greening the building. |
For those churches looking at building projects, make sure you raise green issues with your architects. www.carbontrust.co.uk/Publications/pages/publicationdetail.aspx?id=CTV026 gives advice helpful for heritage buildings.
In the community
“To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation; to sustain and renew the life of the earth.” (Fifth mark of mission.) This is part of our call to mission, and engaging in your own community on the issue of the environment and climate change is now an urgent imperative and an excellent ways to engage with the community on issues of concern across all faiths and none.
Have a look at back copies of Reform and the green pages, in particular “Towns in Transition”, February 2010. www.transitiontowns.org; www.christian-ecology.org.uk/transition-towns.htm |
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Work with local authorities, and make links with other local community groups.