The climate emergency is too big for us to get our head around easily. To help us make more sense of the issues, we have divided the whole climate subject into nine important topics. Over a nine week series, we will be sharing facts about one of the topics.
Why a 9-week cycle?
The idea for the series began as a way of helping everyone prepare for the global summit on climate change (COP26) to be held in Glashow beginning on 1st November. The Christian church across UK designated 5th September as Climate Sunday. We are launching the series at our special Climate Service on 5th September and concluding it during COP26. We hope that COP26 marks the beginning, rather than the end, so look forward to the cycle being repeated.
In each of the 9 weeks the materials encourage each pillar ofo ur campaign. Learning, speaking out, action and inspiring hope. We are encouraging all the Methodist churches in the Ipswich Circuit to weave thsi material into worship, prayer and other local action, as well as reflecting that topic in the thought for the day column elsewhere on this site.
The 9 topics chosen are:
Extreme events such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods, storms and heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more destructive. Check out the Week 1 materials.
Net zero carbon has become a shorthand for stopping further rise tin temperature, and can only be achieved by changing our lifestyles to use only renewable energy and other resources. Check out the Week 2 materials.
Loss of Ecosystems because of temperature changes, with desertification in arid regions, loss of sea ice and high altitude glaciers, so that species face extiction as their habitat is lost, as well as invasion of non-native species as they find new favourable conditions. Check out the Week 3 materials.
Food sustainability – changing conditions threatens crop viability and reduces yields as well as more risk of pest and disease. Prime agricultural land is threatened by weather events, and the high carbon footprint of food production needs urgent attention. Check out the Week 4 materials.
Sea and Ocean effects from rising sea levels and more violent storms will cause major flooding of coastal cities, loss of port infrastructure affecting global trade, and some island states will become uninhabitable unless warming effects are reversed. Check out Week 5 materials.
Changes to airstream and sea currents such as the jetstream and gulfstream are a strong influence on local climatic conditions. Differential changes in land and sea temperatures caused by wrming will seriously disrupt these pattarns exacerbating extreme events, especially in temperate regions such as the UK. Check out Week 6 materials.
Eliminate waste and reduce demand to allow net zero to be achieved, and to stop the polluting effects of waste disposal. Reuse and repair and stop the throw-away culture. Check out week 7 materials
Population and community – recognise that climate change impacts more severely on poorest communities, and that continuing population growth exacerbates the effect of climate change, and that the political challenges of refugee and migrating populations are interlinked with climate chage. Check out week 8 materials
Global leadership and COP26 – geopolitics and the resolve of global leaders to commit to difficult actions and unpopular decisions is one of the big challenges that risks delaying or preventing meaningful action. Check out Week 9 materials
A poster has been prepared for each of the topics in the 9-week cycle. Each poster provides a simple introduction and taster for the topic suitable for use in a display or exhibition. Each poster explains what the topic is, why it is important, what individuals can do about it, and concludes with the prayer relevant to that topic. There is a QR code linking back to the relevant web page for anyone interested in learning more.
The prayers for each week are included in the page fpor each topic, and can also be found on the prayer page. An A6 prayer card covering all 9 weeks can also be downloaded.
Materials for each week can be accessed from the links below..