Climate justice – divestment (2)
Justice, Peace and the integrity of Creation are values that Christians hold dear to their hearts, in Canada and around the world. The World Council of Churches website: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/what-we-do/climate-change states that;
“The Bible teaches the wholeness of creation and calls human beings to take care of the garden of Eden (Gen 2:15). The God of the Bible is a God of justice who protects, loves and cares for the most vulnerable among his creatures.”
So, how well are we caring for the Earth?
Carbon tax needed
How are Christians, for example, demonstrating responsible ecological practices – especially when their financial assets are invested in the fossil fuel industries? After all, the use of fossil fuels, and the carbon dioxide that results, is a cause of climate change; ocean acidification, and God’s people becoming climate refugees.
Climate change, and an example of a practical measure to deal with it, was the topic of an important forum on divestment, held at Beach United Church on Saturday, March 1, 2014. The forum was hosted by The Green Awakening Network and Greening Sacred Spaces. Christine Boyle, one of the presenters, labeled climate change as “the greatest theological challenge of our time.”
An important point was made that individual choices are insufficient to counteract climate change. We need institutions to act as well. Changing light bulbs, while it does make a contribution, is insufficient.
When powerful organizations and corporations simply support the status quo, and the continued extraction of fossil fuels, Christians can withdraw support through divestment. We can take our money elsewhere. Our financial resources can be invested in conservation – which saves energy – or to re-investment in alternative sources of energy.
Divestment from the fossil fuel industry – before the “carbon bubble” bursts – is an ethical option for those who wish to care for creation.
Some of the websites that have information on the divestment movement are:
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