A researcher for the Australian National University says Christian denominations need to do more to address climate change.
Steve Douglas has studied the policies of the Catholic, Anglican and Uniting churches and found the Anglican Church is the least effective.
He says the Uniting Church has more policies but a poor record for implementation and the Catholic Church has a small environmental organisation but is restricted in policy making.
Dr Douglas says all three denominations need to become more focused.
The dramatic rise over the past twelve months in global food prices poses a threat to the very poorest and to humanity as a whole, says a new specialist report from the United Nations – which is seeking to coordinate global action.
The report of the High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Crisis published its Comprehensive Framework for Action a week ago.
It stresses that global food and nutrition security is imperilled by the current situation, which creates a host of humanitarian, human rights, socio-economic, environmental, developmental, political and security-related challenges.
If you are wondering what drives seemingly endless western consumerism, check out this interesting expose by Annie Leonard on the Story of Stuff.
The description below is from the website:Â
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Help us reverse the effects of human depletion of natural resources and preserve our environment through combating climate change by:
- Switch to green power today. Check out our list of accredited Green Power providers and make the switch to clean energy today. By switching to accredited Green Power you are not only helping the environment, you are supporting the growth the renewable energy market in Australia.
- Only heat the rooms you need. You can save a huge amount of power by only heating the rooms you are using. Also set your heating thermostat a little lower.
- Insulate your home to prevent heat escaping. By improving insulation around the home you can reduce the need for that heater in the winter months. Make sure you shut windows and blinds to keep heat in and the cold out!
- Buy a carpet snake (of the door-stop variety – not an actual python!). Another way to reduce heat loss is to seal draft-prone areas such as the spaces under external doors.
- Put on a jumper. Don’t walk around in a t-shirt with the heater turned on when you could just slip on a pair of woolly socks and your favourite cardigan.
For additional tips and to calculate your footprint, visit the WWF-Australia Footprint Calculator.
Rising seas and water shortages will displace about 125 million people living along the coasts of India and Bangladesh by the turn of the century, Greenpeace said.
In a study on rapidly warming South Asia, the global environment group said climate change would also trigger erratic monsoons and break down agricultural systems in the vast and densely populated Gangetic delta.
India, whose economy has grown by eight to nine per cent annually in recent years, is one of the world’s top polluters and contributes around four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions as its consumption of fossil fuels grows.
“We cannot wait for the inevitable to happen and hope to adapt to it,” Vinuta Gopal, the group’s climate and energy campaigner in India said, releasing the report on the ecologically sensitive region, one of the poorest in the world.
Reduce global warming & support NCYC at the same time
One of the ways to help reduce CO2 emissions is to use our cars less. Following the screening of ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, Rev. Arnie is seeking your support to do his pastoral work on his bicycle.
By sponsoring him a few cents per kilometre between June and December, you will:
- Help Rev. Arnie get fitter!
- Help to reduce carbon emissions
- Raise funds to help our young people get to the National Christian Youth Convention – to be held in Melbourne in January 2009.
If 15 people sponsor 5 cents per km, and Arnie cycles 20km per week in his normal ministry duties, it would mean:
- Each person sponsoring would contribute $1 towards NCYC per week for a maximum of 30 weeks.
- This would total $450 of support and encouragement to those going to NCYC.
For more information or to make a donation, email Rev Arnie.
This past Sunday afternoon, the St. David’s congregation had a screening of Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth. One of the indicators of climate change is the disintegration of ice shelves in both Antarctica and the Arctic circle, including Greenland.
Just over a month ago, an area of ice the size of the Gold Coast disappeared into the Antarctic seas in just a few days.
A report from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado says:
Satellite imagery from the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder reveals that a 13,680 square kilometer (5,282 square mile) ice shelf has begun to collapse because of rapid climate change in a fast-warming region of Antarctica.
There are things that each and every one of us can do to make a difference to the problem of global warming. What follows is a simple list of 10 things to do, and for more information check out climatecrisis.
- Change a light globe (to energy efficient ones)
- Drive less
- Recycle more
- Check that your tyres are inflated properly
- Use less hot water
- Avoid over-packaged goods
- Adjust your thermostat (2 degrees warmer for cooling, 2 degrees cooler for heating)
- Plant a tree
- Turn off electronic devices (standby mode uses significant power)
- Spread the word.
A new report on climate change has found that most people want urgent action to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The Climate Institute has released its second annual report on Australians’ attitudes towards climate change.
It found that three-quarters of Australians believe that any new electricity generation should come from clean energy.
by Rev. Arnie Wierenga
When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I remember my older brother talking about logging and how we could not keep cutting down trees because there were not enough of them. As a child I was puzzled by what he was saying because my known world was of rolling hills completely covered by trees.
Sometimes our world can be too small to fully appreciate a problem. I think Australians are the highest users of water per person in the western world which is an odd thing because we live on the driest continent. We have been able to waste a lot of water while our population has been low, but with population pressure and the bite of drought, our world view has had to grow.
At 8.00pm on Saturday March 29th, people, businesses, corporations, towns and cities all over the world will switch off all unnecessary lights for one hour, following the lead of Sydney in 2007.
Dubbed “Earth Hour” it acknowledges climate change as a crucial issue for our community and provides a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on our personal responsibility for the planet and yet know that we are not alone.
Project Australia invites you to be a part of this initiative by engaging in a “Conversation by Candlelight”
We are asking you to gather together a few friends (and strangers too if you can manage it) preferably by candlelight and create a conversation about climate change and any other sustainability issue that is of interest to you.
And then we’d like feedback. Just a few lines telling us where you met, how many of you were there and what the issues were that occupied your attention. You can also tell us about anythng else that came out of the event that you think might be interesting. eg. Any actions you decided to take? Any new friendships or associations that might have developed. Just whatever you feel comfortable with sharing.
We will gather these stories together for a comprehensive report on our website, http://www.projectaustralia.org.au/
You can find out all about the initiative at http://www.earthhour.org/
For further information on the “how to” either call or email to Meetups coordinator Noel on Tel: 0403 347 067 or email: noel.winterburn@gmail.com
We can also offer a range of useful topic headlines to help get you started if you like.
Please tell us if you are considering such an event.
I hope we hear from you soon.
Project Australia