Chorlton Central Church

Come on now ... what has this got to do with the Church ?

Well ...

• we all live on the same planet, and God calls us to care for it
• the poor are likely to suffer the most from the effects of Climate Change
• the greater part of the problem arises from the lifestyles of the western nations

Climate Change results from injustices past and present, and will cause more injustices, particularly for those who cannot afford to protect themselves as

• sea levels rise worldwide, affecting coastal and island communities first
• storm intensities increase (... remember New Orleans ?)
• crops fail and famines follow in Africa and Asia

As Christians we are called by God to love our neighbour - and Jesus made it pretty clear that by 'neighbour' he means anyone who needs our help. On today's interconnected planet this can mean anyone in the world.

Although the UK only generates about 2% of the world Carbon Emissions, companies listed on the London Stock Exchange are responsible for between 12% and 15% of the world's Carbon Emissions.

During 2007 South Asia was devastated by the worst floods in years. Extreme rains have left at least 14 million people displaced in India and a further 7 Million marooned in Bangladesh.

People lost everything; their homes were washed away and they were left with nothing.

This was followed by major flooding in central African countries.

Although proving a link between any specific event and Climate Change is difficult, there is every likelihood that the exceptional weather conditions which have caused these disasters is a consequence of global warming.

Some background ...

For a good - if challenging - read on the subject, try 'Heat' by George Monbiot
Penguin Books 2007; ISBN 978-0-141-02662-6

'The best book I know ... broad, balanced and practical'

Sir john Houghton, Former Head of the Met Office

'Scourge of the lying industry ... Monbiot is one of the best-informed people on the planet'

The Scotsman

... and an opportunity to act

MPs will soon be debating the Climate Change bill. Currently, it envisages a cut of 60% in UK carbon emissions by 2050. But that is almost certainly too little, too late for the world’s poor. There is evidence that we need at least an 80% cut if we’re not to face climate catastrophe. Britain needs to take a lead, and has the opportunity to do so.

The image (right) shows soil erosion damage in a river estuary in Bangladesh.

image copyright Christian Aid/Mohammadur Rahman
used by permission

Christian Aid suggests that you contact your MP NOW to support a
larger, more radical reduction in carbon emissions.

And closer to home ?

As a local church we hope to carry out an environmental audit to find out what our carbon footprint is, and then to take action to reduce it as far as we can.

Watch this page for more information

In the meantime, here are two websites to visit which will help you to calculate your own carbon footprint

www.myfootprint.org - a 15 question quiz which will give a rough guide to your impact on the world

www.carbonfootprint.com - a slightly more detailed questionaire for your household

revised 2 March 2008