Kyoto, George, and God's Art

So the Kyoto Agreement became law last week and at last there are some countries attempting to save the world for our children’s children. Of course the Americans remain aloof from world democracy and arrogantly go on their own sweet way. They simply cannot let anything get in the way of making their god of the profit margin obese!

I was in America for the last of numerous hurricanes that battered the shores of Florida and Alabama last September but ask a serious question. As President Bush pours money, the lives of his own people and the collateral damage of Iraqi civilians into protecting America from “further attack” was his own government in their ignoring of the dangers of global warming not the environmental terrorists who were the main “emission gas funders” of those very hurricanes. American people were killed and left homeless and their government is not only doing nothing about their safety but actually contributing to the carnage.

Enough on America’s isolationism, it can only be good news that this week 84 countries have set their target to reduce carbon emissions by 5% of their 1990 level by 2012. Those of us with Christian affiliations should welcome such a moment and take our places on the front line of the ecological war. If we really believe that God created the planet then we can liken it’s desecration to a mad man with a Stanley knife cutting gouges out of masterpieces at the Louvre or the The Tate of the National Gallery. If we claim that God is our Father then to watch our Father’s art being ransacked should fill us with the kind of righteous anger that Jesus had when he turned over the money changers tables in the Temple.

So how can we protect God’s world? Well we need to be informed about such moments as The Kyoto Agreement and use our advocacy to put more and more pressure on the USA to come aboard. We can also be committed to recycling and taking the time to make the very most of the extra bins that many councils are supplying as well as asking for more responsibility to be taken by such authorities. Finally, personal decisions effect the projected lifetime of our earth. Turn off lights, never use stand-by buttons on your television, boil only the number of cups of tea required, walk to the corner shop instead of driving the car and use as few plastic bags as possible when you’ve shopped there! Those of us in the north need to follow the lead of those in the Republic. Every disposal decision or electric switch can make a difference. God who was proud of what he made is calling us to better stewardship; he always has been!

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