June Green Action Comment

It is sad to note that as we may enjoy the sights and sounds of Spring around us, our natural history is in serious trouble. That is the conclusion of the recent State of Nature report published by a coalition of leading British conservation and research organisations.

Scientists working side-by-side from 25 wildlife organisations have compiled a stock take of our native species – the first of its kind in the UK. The report reveals that 60% of the species studied have declined over recent decades. More than one in ten of all the species assessed are under threat of disappearing from our shores altogether.

The report is available on a number of websites such as:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/science/stateofnature/

At the same time, the Church of Scotland is drawing attention to the dramatic loss of sea ice in the arctic, only 400 miles from the Shetlands, which is almost certainly contributing to global warming and posing environmental threats to human and others species alike.

These challenging examples are but two pointers to what is going on in today’s world – we are losing habitats, species and resources at alarming rates because of the cumulative effects of our consumer lifestyles across the planet. The earth that our children’s children will inherit will be very different to that left to us by our ancestors.

The role of the biblical prophets in such situations was always to read the signs of the times and to interpret them.

This led them to speak in favour of the weak and vulnerable, voicing the concerns and fears of those who carry heavy loads – including the hungry, the thirsty and those who depend on the economic generosity of others. The prophets then address the decision makers of their day (usually a King or Emperor) and speak the truth to power. They warn of the dangers of particular behaviour (e.g. greed or avarice), the consequences of breaking with the conventional wisdom and guidelines for society (e.g. sharing the land more fairly and eradicating debt).

They then call for a change of heart – a radical appraisal of a policy or practice. They remind the powerful of the common good and the importance of caring for all. And they offer signs of hope, of alternative possibilities should deeper principles of love, justice, peace, sustainability and integrity be enacted.

In today’s times of ecological upheaval and uncertainty, it is again the most vulnerable who are more immediately at risk – whether animal and plant species, or human communities.

I hope that our churches and other faith traditions may rediscover this prophetic imperative and express a deeper sense of the seriousness and urgency of the global crises we now face, and again offer creative visions for a different future rather than the short-term economic prosperity put forward by so many of those in power - regardless of the costs to future generations…

This article first appeared in Devon Churches Green Action News, June 2013.