“The reason we don’t have a solution to climate change has less to do with the greed of the great unwashed than with the greed of the almost unbelievably small percentage of people at the top of the energy heap, corrupting the political debate with rolls of cash.” These words by Bill McKibbern underline our present political and social reality.
Our visit to England coincided with the extinction rebellion protest in London. There was something familiar about these protests: so often in our context we have so often seen impoverished people taking drastic action in order to get something to happen. There is a sense in Britain as in many western countries that the important political decisions regarding the future of the planet are being completely ignored in favour of local interest. Climate change has the potential to change the future irreversibly, and whilst not all agree on the science, there is no doubt that legislation would achieve prevention of worse damage. It has been possible to legislate on other global issues in the past but there are too many interests involved. So it is not surprising that those with a conscience should take to the streets, nor that wise spokespeople (such as Rowan Williams) should fully support them.
As he says in his book ‘God with us’:e ‘the affirmation of Jesus’ resurrection, the great decisive change in the middle of material history, bears on how we see the material world as a whole. It touches our thoughts about the environment. Part of the good news that Christians have to utter and express in a world very anxious about the material environment, is that the matter of this world is God’s before it is ours.’
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