Sustainable Agriculture : What can congregations contribute?

The Church and Society Council of the Church fo Scotland is organising a conference entitled:

GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD

Sustainable Agriculture: What can congregations contribute?

Thursday, 10th February

121 George Street, Edinburgh

Food and agriculture is a subject of ongoing interest and importance both in Scotland and elsewhere. We read of developments and challenges that often seem contradictory: the real difficulties facing some farmers in Scotland on the one hand and huge agricultural subsidies paid to others; the immense power of the supermarkets and the decline of high street shops; an epidemic of obesity in Scotland but poverty elsewhere in the world; new food technologies like GM and the rise of organic alternatives; the exploitation of third world producers and the growth of fair trade; the need to feed seven billion people on earth, possibly rising to nine billion later this century and the destruction of natural habitats to provide more agricultural land to do so.

Consideration of some of these issues persuaded the Church and Society Council to investigate the meaning of ‘sustainable agriculture’ in more detail. The investigation is focused on Scotland but must take account of developments elsewhere. The Council is aware that much work is already underway and is concerned to add to this work not to duplicate it. In particular the Council is interested to explore the question ‘What can congregations do?’

This conference is an opportunity to explore these concerns and to learn more from experts in these issues. Its purpose is to help the Church & Society Council develop a report with recommendations for the General Assembly in 2012, a report that will provide insights and guidance for congregations. We don’t anticipate that the conference will provide firm answers but we do hope it will help to shape our thinking.

The Programme is as follows:

10.30am Registration + Coffee/ Tea


11am Welcome from Chair: Sheena Wurthmann

Keynote address: David Atkinson

12 noon Lunch

12.45pm Discussion groups
• Our mutual food: Pete Ritchie, Whitmuir Farm
• Science and agriculture - new technologies, new opportunities, new challenges: Donald Bruce, Edinethics
• Community supported agriculture: local food production, transition towns, allotments: Richard Frazer and Josiah Lockhart, Grassmarket Community Project
• The view from the farm: issues and challenges facing farmers: John Picken, NFU Scotland
• The view from the Scottish Government: Antje Branding, Scottish Government

1.45pm Coffee/ Tea

2pm Plenary

Each discussion group is asked to report back to the plenary session:

• What were the three main points they discussed?
• What message would the discussion group like to send to congregations?
• What one action would the discussion group like the Church of Scotland to do?

3pm Close



Stories needed

We would like to showcase stories form Eco Congregations in their strives to reduce their carbon footprint.

Congregations new to the mouvement, might feel that it is impossible to reduce their carbon footprint but, we know that there is plenty of evidence to show that it is possible to have a year on year reduction. please, if you have a tip on how to reeuce the carbon footprint of your church, post it up in our Church and Society Facebook group page.

MANY HEAVENS, ONE EARTH

Adrian Shaw has sent us this report from the ARC UNEP meeting.

Report from the ARC-UNEP Meeting in Windsor, 2 November 2009

200 delegates from faith groups around the world have gathered in Windsor to celebrate the contribution that faiths can make to caring for the earth.

The opening session on Monday afternoon asked ‘why do we care? and highlighted reports from the Amazon, Africa and Nepal about the damage that climate change and deforestation is doing to native peoples. Archbishop Mokiwa Valentine told us how drought in Tanzania is creating poverty, disease, and death; Father Michael Holman SJ spoke about deforestation in the Amazon rainforest destroying the habitat of indigenous communities; and from Dekila Chungyalpa of WWF Nepal, details of how melting ice caps in the Himalayas are reducing the flow in the great rivers of Asia such as the Ganges, putting at risk the water supply of tens of millions of people.

Alongside the stories of destruction there were stories of hope; from speakers such as Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, who outlined the creation of the new Muslim Association for Climate Change Action; and from Nigel Savage about the work of Hazom, a Jewish Environment NGO. There were many stories from the USA about growing activism in American churches on climate change, challenging our assumptions around America’s lack of concern about climate change.

The contributors reiterated the breadth of action taking place by faith groups worldwide worldwide and the common concern about climate change.

Tbc…




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Church of Scotland Takes Climate Change to World Stage

NEXT week the Church of Scotland takes its climate change message to the world stage, as officials prepare to address Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General, and the Duke of Edinburgh.



Church representatives are using Tuesday’s Alliance of Religions and Conservation event at Windsor Castle as an opportunity to voice the Kirk’s concerns to a global audience. Right Reverend Bill Hewitt, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, has long maintained that climate change poses a serious and immediate threat to people everywhere, particularly to the poor of the earth.
Mr Hewitt is sending a statement of support, as church figures urge world leaders to accept the need to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases urgently to avoid dangerous and irreversible climate change, ahead of a December’s global summit in Copenhagen.

In May, the Church issued an edict calling on all of its Presbyteries to produce a plan setting out how they will measure energy consumption in their church buildings, ascertain their carbon footprint and achieve a year-on-year reduction of five per cent of that figure. It has also decided to employ a climate change officer for three years, beginning on Tuesday, as it seeks to become a catalyst for positive environmental action in communities across Scotland. Kirk officials are also encouraging congregations to join the ecumenical Eco-Congregation Scotland scheme, with more than 200 churches already signed up. Members pledge to take better stewardship of God’s creation and to stimulate grassroots activity in their area.
More radical changes include parts of a refurbished church in Perthshire being made out of old Wellington boots, yoghurt pots and mobile phones, and a minister in Papa Westray powering his car by recycled chip fat oil from his local take-away outlet.




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International Day of Climate Action for Faith Groups

Bell ringing for Climate Change

When: Sunday 13th December 2009
Who: Churches across the world, led by alliances of Christian development agencies and churches (World Council of Churches, CIDSE, Caritas Internationalis, APRODEV) invite parishes and dioceses across the country to mobilize churches and their constituents to ring their church bells on Sunday 13th December to call for urgent action against climate change. With world leaders meeting in Copenhagen from 7th-19th December to decide on a global response to climate change, we invite all faith communities to come together to send one message of justice in solidarity with the poor, who are already facing the worst effects of climate change.

What: Across the world, faith communities will ring their church bells to represent a unified message from people of faith, calling for action on climate change. Churches across the world will ring their bells to remind us of the obligation we have to save God´s great creation. The bells ring to wake up the politicians that are negotiating a new climate deal. The bells are calling for global climate justice. People of faith all over the world will be calling on politicians to take responsibility and create a climate for justice. Urgent reductions in our emissions are needed if we are to avert disastrous effects on people and the planet. Why not get your parish congregation involved, invite your local newspaper along, invite your local MP or councillors, and take photos or videos of the day?

Where and when: Sunday 13 December marks the height of the climate summit in Copenhagen. The church bells will ring out through all time zones, starting at 3pm local time in Fiji in the South Pacific, where the day begins, and continuing on until 15:00 CET in Copenhagen and across Central Europe. Why not find a time on Sunday that suits your parish congregation? It might be easiest to arrange for the event to happen straight after your Sunday service- make sure you give people plenty of notice in the church bulletin, asking them to stay on afterwards or to come back for the event. You can also extend the invitation out around your local community, and let people know why their local church bells are ringing out!

Why: On the occasion of the UN Summit in Copenhagen, churches, development agencies and their supporters want to signal to politicians that they must reach an equitable and just climate change deal in December 2009. The National Council of Churches in Denmark, where the meeting will be hosted, describes the day of action as “marking our hope in the Lord and our resolve to act for God’s Creation”.

Be part of it! And don’t forget to let us know about your event!
Email one of the coordinators:
Church of Scotland: ashaw@cofscotland.org.uk
Justice and Peace: carol.clarke@justiceandpeacescotland.org.uk
SCIAF: campaigns@sciaf.org.uk
Christian Aid: DGreen@christian-aid.org
And check www.bellringing350.org to keep updated on the international events.

Credits
Photograph by Axel Burhmann.




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A new map of the world: mapping climate change

A new map of the world has been unveiled at the Science Museum in London. The map is based on a projected scenario of a 4 degree rise in world temperatures. The projection shown on the map was generated using Met Office Hadley Centre's HadCM3 model, and shows that an average rise of 4 ºC (7 ºF) will not be spread uniformly across the globe.

The map is interactive and you can inquire about specific changes in water avauilability, forest files, rise in sea levels etc. It is sobering and very thought provoking to see what might happen to our planet if the Copenhagen Summit does not reach agreement. The Guardian has also published an article on the map. Please to look at at the map. Explore the possibilities of what might happen, pray, and then, if you feel so inclined, make your voice heard. The UK government's website Act on Copenhagen has also very comprehensive links to the nature of the political debate on this issue, as well as scientific facts.




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Launch of Module 13: Climate Change, managing your carbon footprint

On September 29th at St Andrew's and St George's Church in Edinburgh 1,30 pm Eco-Congregation Scotland will be formally launching its Module 13, Climate Change, Managing your Carbon Footprint. the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, Scottish Government, Mr. Stewart Stevenson, and Mr. John Ferguson, from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will be attending as well as representatives from eco-congregations accross Scotland. If you want to attend, please contact Aniko Schuetz by email at aschuetz@cofscotland.org.uk or phone 0131 240-2274.

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The Old & Abbey Church, Arbroath

We, in the Old and Abbey Church, have been conscious for some time of environmental issues and the consequences for our world if they are not addressed. Awareness without constructive action is a denial of our contribution to environmental destruction so the challenge is to face up to the issues and act. Global warming and Biodiversity are ours to deal with. We can not sit back and agree that there are problems but leave it to others to fix them. We have a Christian and a moral duty to act and must take a lead.

The effects of global warming are with us now. They are all too evident. We, in the Church of Scotland, have never had a better opportunity to talk openly about God’s creation and our responsibility to care for it or to unite with and work alongside other agencies and campaigners. What is important is the way in which we interact with others. We have an opportunity to be constructive and creative in what we do and how we do it. We need to promote change on a personal level but we also need to lobby local and national politicians, industry leaders etc. encouraging them to protect the needs of our global partners whose economy’s are less robust than ours.

Biodiversity must be part of our vocabulary as it shows our concern for all living things. In our efforts to make change happen we must have a balanced approach to maintain the fragile eco-structures that allow life, in all its forms, to survive and grow. We must also keep the dialogue positive and talk about change in a way that helps others believe that change is possible.

The Old & Abbey church has looked at the congregation, the wider community and the political arena and has in small ways tried to involve all three. We have held “Eco-Funky-Fun” days with the focus being on children and their families (games, treasure-hunts, story corners, African drumming workshops, art competitions etc.)


The congregation is encouraged to re-cycle and in conjuction with Angus Council we have a recycling centre. In addition, we have recently started a bottle-top recycling point in the church.


We also organise quarterly beach cleans, cycle to worship days and promote the use of environmentally-friendly products on church premises.
We have regular worship services, Sunday’s and mid-week, focussing on environmental themes. In 2008 we held a major three day event involving a high profile political forum chaired by Friends of the Earth, followed by a full day programme that included a wide range of advice and information displays (SCARF, Friends of the Earth, WWF, Angus Council, park rangers, organic food growing, composting and renewable energy, Christian Aid and Eco-congregation etc). The event was supported by an eco-village shopping experience, African music and a variety of Children’s activities. Food was organic where possible and cups and sandwich cartons were all biodegradable. On the spiritual side Sunday worship was led by the event organisers plus there was an opportunity to walk an Eco-labyrinth.

What the future hold is a mix of the above. However our main vision is to hold a major Eco-event that will be a truly community-focused event but an event that has at its heart the Christian message. What we do know is our commitment will not diminish. The situation is too urgent.


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Why transforming a desert into a forest might not be such a good idea.

Frank Raes, head of the climate change unit at the Joint Research Centre's (JRC) Institute for Environment and Sustainability sends a warning message to geo-engineering schemes. "People should not meddle with Earth's complex climate system by experimenting with futuristic geo-engineering options, but softer approaches have the potential to relieve the planet's climate woes".

Mr Raes propses a definition for geo-engineering which includes aforestation (planting trees) and explains the reasons why this practice might be a very good long term solution for the planet, but not particualtly good if the short term goal is to cool the climate. To read the entirety of his interview please follow this link.


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The Wave

On Saturday the 5th of December people from across Scotland will come to Glasgow to send a claer message about climate change to world leaders assembled at the UN Climate Change conference in Copenhagen.

The Wave will be a fun, family-friendly march in Glasgow city centre, where a diverse range of people will come together to show their concern about climate change. Similar demonstrations will be taking place across the world at this time. In order to demonstrate that this issue is important to Scotland, we need as many people as possible to turn out on the streets of Glasgow on December 5th. The event is organised by Stop Climate Change Chaos Scotland, a coalition of 60 organisations campaigning on climate change.

Eco-Congregations in Scotland have a key role to play in The Wave. As well as coming to the event, you can spread the word to your networks and contacts to help ensure that as many people as possible congregate in Glasgow.

The time, start-point, transport details etc will be confirmed nearer the time. For more information see The Wave.




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Module 13 soon to be formally launched

MODULE 13 CLIMATE CHANGE:
MANAGING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

Do you know how to measure and reduce your church’s carbon footprint? Eco-Congregation Scotland can help you!

Eco-congregations across Scotland can now quickly and easily measure the carbon footprint of their church buildings. Eco-Congregation Scotland is launching a new module that has been developed to help congregations of all denominations respond to climate change. The module has been developed after a programme of meetings with congregations across Scotland earlier this year and with financial support from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). It brings together for the first time a number of important concerns:

• why Christians must respond to climate change
• a simple tool for congregations to work out the carbon footprint of their church buildings
• a challenge to congregations to commit to cut their carbon footprint by 5% each year

Why is it important to know your carbon footprint? Most eco-congregations are now aware of climate change from reports in the news papers and on television. However from our research we learned that very few people know how much energy was used in their church buildings; how big their carbon footprint could be or how they could take action to minimise their own contribution to global warming. Knowing your carbon footprint is a vital step to help take action.

Module 13 explains how this can be done quickly and accurately. It shows, in easy steps, how to work out from electricity, gas or oil bills the annual carbon footprint of a building; and how to find out advice and information to reduce this total – and save money. Advice and possibly funding is available through the Energy Saving Trust or Climate Challenge Fund to help you do this.

We are now encouraging congregations across Scotland to register as eco-congregations and to join this movement to respond to climate change. Please go to the Eco Congregation Scotland website where you can also download a copy of the module. Please click here to download a copy. . Alternatively ring Aniko Schuetz for more information on 0131 240 2274.

Going through the roof!!! Climate Change Conference

The following letter and conference announcement was sent to us by Martin Johnstone, Priority Areas Secretary.



For many of us making ends meet and paying the bills in our churches is a huge and ongoing challenge. And that challenge has become consistently more difficult in recent years when heating and lighting bills have seemed to be going through the roof – much of the time quite literally.

When we add to the problem of escalating costs the concern which many of us have about the huge damage that we are doing to our environment it is clear that we need to do something – and soon. The General Assembly this year instructed all congregations to cut their carbon emissions by 5% annually – a massive challenge but a vital one. I want priority areas to be at the forefront of taking up that challenge.

To help us to do that, the Priority Areas Committee and the Church & Society Council are co-hosting a one-day conference on the 5th September in Colston Milton Parish Church from 10am – 3pm. We hope that up to four members of your congregation can come along. During the day we will learn:
v What our congregation’s carbon footprint is and what we can do to reduce it
v How to access a variety of funds which will help us to meet the challenges of climate change
v Who to get advice from as we try to cut your energy bills year after year
v Where exciting things are happening and how we can join in
v How our faith and worship can inform and inspire our practice

Amongst those who will be helping us to think and act creatively will be: Adrian Shaw (Climate Change Officer, Church of Scotland), the Wise Group, Kate Airlie (Climate Challenge Fund, Scottish Government), Eco-Congregations, Colston Milton Parish Church, and many others.

We expect there to be a heavy demand for places at this event so I would encourage you to book as early as possible by contacting Lynne MacLellan and fillinf out the application form. The conference is free.



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How to post comments

We have just finished a short video showing everyone how to post comments on the blog. Posting comments is a very useful way for you to express your ideas about what is being posted on the blog. We hope you find the video useful As usual, you can see it right here on the blog itself, or go to the Ecocongregation Scotland Channel in Youtube.







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Viewpoints on Hell and High Water by Alastair McIntosh

This is a contribution by Alastair McIntosh on his newest book entitled

Hell & High Water: Climate Change, Hope and the Human Condition
(Birlinn, Edinburgh 2008, £8.99)

This book might be relevant to eco-congregations. It’s in two parts. The first summarises, in plain language, the current science of climate change. I look at the world situation and also, at the case study of Scotland. Towards the end of Part 1 the book becomes different from most climate change books. I move on to looking at arguments such as those which compare climate change with the “Spirit of the Blitz”, or abolishing slavery.Sorry to say, I have to conclude that the order of magnitude of change that’s required bears no comparison to these historical precedents.

In my view it’s all very well to pass aspirational climate change bills, but unless people really want radical change the politicians won’t be able to deliver what needs to be done.

As matters stand today, people will go along with small change. They’ll change light bulbs and insulate the loft at home or in churches. But we have to be careful not to make a fetish out of these practical steps. If they’re not carried out with a deeper spiritual analysis, they risk displacing our attention from the really big questions.

Part two of the book attempts to tackle those big questions. For me, they’re about the human condition and what it is that drives consumerism. Along with population growth, consumerism is the cutting edge of climate change. But to tackle it we must face up to human condition.

This is where faith groups can play a vital role. In my view, eco-congregations are selling themselves short if they only tackle the practicalities of outer life. To really make a contribution, they have to additionally remind us that “bread alone” is not sufficient. Jesus started his preaching by making sure that the people were fed, but he didn’t stop there. Similarly, in tackling the outer life practicalities of climate change, we must also reach through to the inner life.

That means the discomfort of recognising consumerism for what it is – a form of idolatry. Jesus called it the worship of Mammon. In Jeremiah 2 we read: “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water….”

In place of the idolatry of consumerism we need to build the resilience – both at personal levels and in our communities. We need the practical and spiritual resilience to face the come-what-may of the come-to-pass. I end the book by suggesting that consumerism is like any addiction. It offers a false way of satisfying what is really spiritual need. Different people and different groups will have their own way of addressing this. Here’s what I propose in concluding Hell and High Water and in justifying its subtitle, “Climate Change, Hope, and the Human Condition.”

A 12-Step Programme for Climate Change

1. We must re-kindle the inner life
2. We must value children’s primal integrity
3. We must cultivate psychospiritual literacy
4. We must expand our concept of consciousness
5. We must shift from violent to nonviolent security
6. We must serve fundamental human needs
7. We must value mutuality over competition
8. We must make more with less
9. We must regenerate community of place
10. We must build strong but inclusive identities
11. We must educate for elementality
12. We must open to Grace and Truth

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Different places to acces the video

The calculator table is also stored in the Church of Scotland website. The following video shows you how to log unto the Church of Scotland's website, how to download the carbon footprint calculator table unto your computer, and then, how to enter the data for the calculation. If you find the video screen far too small, you can also access the video with a wider screen through YouTube. You can find the Eco-Congregation Scotland YouTube Channel here.

Ready to Start?

The first thing you need to do is sit and watch the video (either in YouTube, or right here in the blog). You will find the video as you scooll down this blog. It is the little window with the image of the Eco-Congregation Scotland website. You can watch the video as many times as you like until the process becomes clear in your mind. Once you are ready to proceed, you will need to be connected to the Internet. You will also need to have your electricy/gas or/oil bill handy. You can then replicate the steps from the video in your own computer. Depending on the speed of your own connection to the Internet, it might take a bit of time for the video to download. Please be patient. Many thanks and please let us know if you find the video helpful. Any suggestions will be most welcome.




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Educational Videos: Eco-Congregation Scotland

We are happy to announce that Eco-Congregations Scotland has started a series of videos to help congregations become more ecologically friendly. The first video in the series deals with calculating the carbon footprint of the buildings of your church. In order to calculate your carbon footprint you need to download the carbon calculator table which is stored in the Eco-congregations website. The video listed right here on the blog shows you how to access the table within the Eco-Congregation Scotland website.


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Support for new Scottish Climate Change Targets

A senior Church of Scotland minister today welcomed the Scottish Government’s new climate change targets, but warned they were doomed to fail unless the people of Scotland were involved at a grassroots level. Speaking a day after the Scottish Parliament approved the trail-blazing Scottish Climate Change Bill, Reverend Ian Galloway, Convener of the Kirk’s Church and Society Council, said: “We warmly welcome the amendment to the Bill requiring the Scottish Government to publish a strategy for public engagement. “Without an effective strategy the new law stands little chance of success. Congregations across Scotland, particularly Eco-Congregations will have vital role to play in coming months to help the Government get this right.”


A final day amendment tabled by Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, which requires the Scottish Government to publish a public engagement strategy, was agreed by MSPs of all parties.

Mr Adam said: “The opportunities are there for public engagement in delivering the aims of the bill and places duties on us all to reach the challenging targets in reducing our carbon impact. “I hope that others will follow the lead taken by the Eco-Congregations and Eco-Schools in making a difference.”
The MSP was supported in the amendment by the Church of Scotland and the Eco-Congregation Scotland movement, which represents over 200 congregations of all denominations across the country.



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perspectives from Bangladesh (2)

Dipty Linda And James Pender are Advisors with The Church of Bangladesh Social Development Programme. They are providing us with a direct view of the effects of climate change from Bangladesh. This is the second part of their unique viewpoint.

So on my return to Bangladesh in 2006 the moderator of the church gave me the task of looking into how climate change would affect the poor people that the church seeks to serve through its development programme. Some of the results have been published in the report Bangladesh and Climate Change.

Unfortunately my findings arenot very encouraging CBSDP’s projects in north-west (Rajshahi), west (Meherpur) and central (Modhupur) Bangladesh are becoming increasingly drought prone; its projects in Dhaka, Barisal and Gopalganj Districts in the south are suffering from increasingly devastating floods; while communities on the coast are becoming threatened for their very survival.

I visited such a community on the coast quite near to where the Church of Bangladesh has one of its congregations near to the city of Khulna during a field trip from the 3rd International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change which was quite heartbreaking: In the twin villages of Kolotola and Amtola as sea level rises and water flowing down the rivers in the dry season gets less, water supplies, and even the soil is becoming salty. This means that they can no longer grow vegetables and rice harvests are getting less and less, while they have to travel 6km for drinking water in the dry season from a pond where the water isn’t ‘good’ but at least not so much salt to make it undrinkable. If this wasn’t bad enough the reduction in dry season freshwater is reducing the productivity of the nearby Sundarbans (the largest mangrove forest in the world, containing Bengal Tigers) on which people traditionally relied for building materials, medicinal plants, and firewood, as well as reducing the amount of fish in the river during the dry season. Worst of all plenty of water in the river with its strong currents in the wet season, means the river is meandering towards the village at a rate of about 2 feet per year. Natural processes are involved but with the effects of climate change making them worse it cannot truly be called a ‘natural disaster’ in the making. When I asked Rattan the young man I was talking to what he would do when the river claimed his home? He simply shrugged his shoulders saying: “I will have nowhere to move to here, I guess I will just have to go to Dhaka city and try and find some work there”.

In rural Meherpur a long way from the coast, effects of climate change may be less dramatic but are none the less insidious, as we talked to village women in Govipur with Neil a visiting Methodist Minister, they showed that although of limited education and from simple farming families, they were in fact wise and insightful with their answers and clearly ladies who could read the ‘signs of the times’. New weather patterns that were affecting the crops their families were growing included: Fruits coming earlier, harvests latter, the hotter season was now longer, heavy rains were commoner, storms were now devastating crops, as well as longer periods of thicker fog. This was serious trouble for these farming families as these changes threatens their livelihoods; for example fog damaged wheat by encouraging fungal disease, and killed flowers of valuable litchi and mango trees reducing fruit harvests. When Rev. Neil asked the women what message they wanted him to take back to the UK these humble but confident ladies stated their message clearly and concisely: “People there should stop pollution, look after the environment and stop emitting greenhouse gases; for Western countries are increasing greenhouse gases but it is we in Bangladesh that are suffering!”

Sir John Houghton Chair or Co-chair of the Scientific Working Group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) between 1988-2002 reminds us of words of Jesus spoken after he had told the parable contrasting the faithful and unfaithful stewards: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). The challenge to our Christian churches and the opportunities with which they are presented are unmistakeable”. As former US Vice-President Al Gore, stated in his Noble Prize winning film Inconvenient Truth: “If you believe in prayer, pray that people will find the strength to change (in response to climate change)” and then he quoted an African proverb: ‘When you pray move your feet’!


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The Views from Bangladesh (part 1)

Dipty Linda And James Pender are Advisors with The Church of Bangladesh Social Development Programme. They are providing us with a direct view of the effects of climate change from Bangladesh

These days climate change is everywhere; in newspapers, on TV and within school curriculum, in fact even if you wanted too you can’t avoid the subject. Even in conversation if it’s been wet, windy, flooding, hot or cold somehow someone will blame the weather on climate change. Like it or hate the issue of climate change has gone mainstream, political leaders, business leaders and economists are even concerned; things have come a long way since the issue was promoted by left wing greenies in the late eighties and early nineties.

When I studied my degree in Environmental Studies in 1992 we were taught that Climate Change was a ‘possible’ problem, the details were unclear and perhaps we should do something to prevent it as a ‘safe precaution’. However, when I was back in the UK during 2006 shortly after the publishing of the Stern Report by a British economist on behalf of the British Government who astounded the world’s business community with his predictions on how climate change would affect the world’s economy, I realised things had changed, especially when later even oilmen like President George W. Bush endorsed the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who unequivocally stated that climate change was now happening . People were no longer talking about ‘IF’ for climatic changes had already been measured and the link to modern human behaviour was unmistakable, but ‘HOW’ it was and would impact on the earth.

It can be all a bit confusing hidden in scientific gobbledygook but basically while we know human caused climate change is now happening we still don’t know exactly what will happen, how soon and precisely where. However, it is known that climate change in the next hundred years will be significant and by the year 2100 best estimates predict between a 1.8˚ C and 4 ˚C rise in average global temperature, although it could possibly be as high as 6.4˚ C. For the average Brit that does not sound too dramatic as our ever changing weather could lead to ‘four seasons in day’ as they say in Scotland anyhow. We are unlikely therefore to notice this kind of temperature difference in terms of ‘feeling warmer’, but for food production for example, this will be serious as harvests depend directly on climatic conditions (temperature and rainfall patterns) and could lead to food yields being reduced by as much as a third in the tropics and subtropics.

In terms of the impact of climate change few places in the world will experience the range of effects and the severity of changes that will occur in Bangladesh, which will include: Average weather temperatures rising; more extreme hot and cold spells; rainfall being less when it is most needed for agriculture, yet more in the monsoon when it already causes floods; melting of glaciers in the source areas of Bangladesh’s rivers altering the hydrological cycle; more powerful tornados and cyclones; and sea level rise displacing communities, turning freshwater saline and facilitating more powerful storm surges. The impact will be intensified by the fact that Bangladesh is both one of the most populated and one of the poorest nations on earth.

Bishop Paul Sarkar and Bishop Michael S. Baroi of The Church of Bangladesh, are both very concerned and have been highlighting the plight of Bangladesh as they travel to different countries for various church meetings and the latter, speaking of his fears about climate change said: “It would be a serious catastrophe for my country and for the whole region if much of the land in Bangladesh disappears under the sea. I become frightened to think that my grandchildren will have no place to live on this planet earth. I really want to be sure that they, and their children after them, will be able to enjoy the beauty of my country that I have enjoyed, and be able to have enough land to live and enough land for food”.



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Stewart Stevenson MSP to speak at St Kane's Church

Stewart Stevenson, the Scottish Minister for Transport, Infrastructure & Climate Change will speak on June 6th at a transport and climate change event organised by the Presbytery of Buchan. The event will take place at New Deer St Kane's Church centre from 10am to 3.30pm. Adrian Shaw, Climate Change Project Officer at the Church and Society Council will speak about climate change and transport. There will be small group discussions after each presentation giving participants ample opportunities for reflection.


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