EDITORIAL Stop Climate Chaos
by Peter Hughes ssc

Before introducing myself, I would like to pay tribute to Eamonn O’Brien, whom I am replacing as Coordinator of the Columban Faith and Justice Office. He has been a tireless worker for Justice and Peace in England, Wales and Scotland for many years. He now moves on to dedicate himself more exclusively to his work on Cultural Exchange with China and with other aspects of the Columban mission here in Britain.

For myself, after ordination I was based in Chile from 1977 until 2004. I hope to bring some of my experience of working with the people of Chile in times of oppression and poverty to my new mission here in Britain.

The main issue of this newsletter is Global Warming. Not too long ago this subject did not feature much among our concerns. However certain prophets among us were capable of reading the signs of the times and did warn us. They were like voices in the desert. Unfortunately, neither we nor our governments took much notice. Now the impacts of global warming are crash landing all around us, forcing all responsible people to wake up and pay attention.

The recently held Columban General Assembly has taken on the problem of global warming as one of its priorities in the Justice and Peace area. The Columban Assembly had this to say on the subject: "Global Warming is the most serious ecological challenge facing humanity and the planet. As people of faith, we believe we have a moral obligation to act."

We see the evidence of global warming in the unusually hot summer that we had this year in England and especially the

drought in South East England. We are warned that the sea levels are going to rise, threatening great suffering to people in low lying regions of the world. Glaciers which contain most of our fresh water are melting rapidly.

Poorer people will, as usual, be the most susceptible to the consequences of global warming. They typically live in substandard housing, without adequate freshwater or sewerage facilities, in areas that are prone to flooding and mudslides. It’s ironic that the regions that produce the least greenhouse gas emissions - the principle cause of global warming - will be amongst the worst affected by the consequences of global warming. Latin America, for example, has so far contributed only four percent of emissions, yet the negative impacts of warming are being felt, as outlined in our centrespread.

In the face of the predictions of impending disasters it is very easy to feel powerless and overwhelmed. It is easy to become fatalistic and say that the damage is already done and there is nothing that we can do about it anyway. Yet, as Christians we must always strive to be people of hope. This does not mean that we ignore the problem but that we face up to it, take it as seriously as it deserves and try to move forward positively.

The very least we can do is inform ourselves. We should also take some action at an individual or family level about the problem, considering the well-being of future generations. Ideas are given in the Operation Noah flier, included in this mailing. And what about attending the Stop Climate Chaos rally and services on the 4th November in London.