The document discusses whose responsibility it is to care for the earth. It argues that according to Christian beliefs, God created the earth and tasked humans with caring for it. To honor God and be truly human, people must live in a way that protects the planet. The document then outlines the problems of climate change caused by burning fossil fuels and rising CO2 levels. It introduces Operation Noah as a Christian charity working to provide leadership through ethical and moral frameworks to promote rapid changes to sustainable, low-carbon living and climate justice.
4. We believe that: God created the heavens and the earth. God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. The earth is the Lord ’ s, and everything in it. … all things have been created through him and for him. God so loved the world….
5. ‘ Living in a way that honours, rather than threatens the planet, is living out what it means to be made in the image of God ’ ‘ What we face today is nothing less than a choice about how genuinely human we want to be. ’ 2009 Operation Noah Annual Lecture
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14. “ The next generation will ask us one of two questions. Either they will ask: "What were you thinking: why didn’t you act?" Or, they will ask instead: "How did you find the moral courage to rise and successfully resolve a crisis that so many said was impossible to solve?" Al Gore www.operationnoah.org
Editor's Notes
Of course it should be governments – but their first priority is the next election – they don ’ t believe they have the power to take the unpopular decisions that the world needs – so they let the market sort it Lord Stern said in 2006 that "Climate change is a result of the greatest market failure the world has seen. ” Scientists – need the media to relay the message Media – will report what it thinks we want to hear And what do we want to hear? That it ’ s not urgent and that someone else is sorting it out so we can go shopping in peace So caring for the earth gets pushed into a corner of things to do when everything else is sorted out. Where are we Christians in all this?.....are we just part of one of these groups who walk on by leaving the future of the earth dying on the side of the road, or does our faith affect our view?
If God created it, if it belongs to him, if he loves it, if we are instructed to look after it, if it is all created through Jesus and for Jesus, surely caring for creation is central to our faith. Climate change is not an environmental issue, it is a moral and spiritual problem that raises questions that go to the heart of what it means to be human.
Not a new idea (the Five marks of mission were developed in 1984 and then revised in 1990 ON believes that the church should be a leader in protecting creation. But does the earth need protecting?...
But does the earth need protecting? The skies of our planet contain just the right amount of heat-trapping gases to allow abundant life on earth
Burning fossil fuels that have been laid down over millennia in the space of 150 years makes a lot of carbon dioxide. Known since 1850s that carbon dioxide has the potential to trap heat in the atmosphere (the greenhouse effect) If 2 or 3 people in a bus of 100 were convinced you weren ’ t heading towards a cliff would you leave the brick on the accelerator? School bus better analogy – it ’ s our children that are on the bus, not us. Any scientists here? Anyone like graphs?....
This graph comes from Sir John Houghton (former Chair of IPCC) and is based on records from an Antartic ice core measuring temperature and CO 2. The last ice age was 20,000 years ago. Since the industrial revolution began (1750-1850s) and in particular in the past few decades, increased greenhouse gas emissions (such as carbon dioxide and methane) from the burning of fossil fuels, have been huge and are having a major effect on global temperatures. Scientists also warn us of positive feedbacks where natural processes may kick in and could increase temperatures still further (eg thawing of permafrost leading to methane emissions). Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have increased by 70% between 1970 and 2004. (source : IPCC 3 rd Assessment report on Mitigation, April 2007) We cannot just leave our children to deal with the consequence of this rise. As Christians, it ’ s our problem. But where is the church?
What we need to ask ourselves is - How will we find this moral courage? Can we, the church, help humanity find it? Become a supporter of Operation Noah and help us provide the leadership and inspiration that is so desperately needed.
