Psalm 24: 1-2 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters
In November this year the city of Glasgow is hosting the COP26. This is the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference. It will be the 16th meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol that was set out in 1997 and brought into force in 2005, and the 3rd meeting of the parties to the Paris Accord that was signed in 2015.
The Kyoto agreement stated countries that had signed up to it agreed that global warming was happening and that this was driven by man-made carbon dioxide emissions.
The Paris Accord was an agreement that the signatories would make a declaration of nationally determined contributions to decrease greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and ozone, and that every 5 years that commitment would be increased.
It is evident that we have been talking about climate change for many years, even before the millennium, yet we move closer and closer to an emergency. We have spent the last 12 months worrying about the effects of a virus, quite rightly. However, there is another global crisis staring us in the face.
As Christians we believe that God created the earth, it is his, and we are simply guardians tasked with caring for His planet. We all play a part in the responsible use of resources, and the sharing of what God has given us and the legacy we leave behind.
Prayer
God the Creator of all things, you look on your world and see destruction and waste. Forgive us our selfishness and greed, and help each one of us to play our part in the preservation of the earth’s resources, and help the world leaders to think beyond borders and the present. Help us all to turn back from destruction and to care for this precious earth you have lent us.
Amen