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ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF WANGARATTA ENVIRONMENTAL CARE PROGRAM ONLY ONE EARTH For some of us it is the best of times For others it is the worst of times. Position Statement, February 2007 Embedded within our belief in God’s creation of the world is the challenge to sustain life on earth in all its forms. Many indigenous peoples understood this challenge well. But in the 21st Century lifestyles of most Australians, connection with the other organisms with which we share our planet, and the earth which supports us all, has been all but lost. Australia as a nation has one of the heaviest ecological footprints. If the six billion humans on the planet all lived like us, another two planet Earths would be needed to sustain our species. Yet Humans are the one species which holds the consciousness of the planet. Those of us who are educated, read the papers and watch TV know that half of our kind is malnourished due to drought, famine and injustice. We know that we are greedily gobbling up the resources of the earth, and leaving devastation in our wake. That we are still degrading our soils, jeopardising river flows, causing salinity creep, drought and desertification We know that Australia was blessed with incredibly unique and diverse ecosystems, and yet we are responsible for the highest rate of extinction on the planet. There is now little doubt that the way we produce and use energy is helping to change the global climate, melting permafrost, changing ocean currents, and weather patterns. Every one of us has a responsibility to Creation, we can and must make a difference. Our Vision : To reduce our ecological footprint as a Diocese, Parish and Individual. Our Strategy : 1. Individual: To develop a 10 Year Strategic Plan which will guide our actions at National and Diocesan Levels (this may include 5 and 3 year plans). 2. To develop 3 Year rolling plans at Diocesan, Parish and local levels 3. To begin implementation of the Strategic Plans ASAP Examples of strategies and goals at each level could be: National: Raising awareness of Christian duty towards Creation Encouraging Australia’s Leaders to commit with honesty and integrity to preventing further ecological deterioration. Diocesan: To lead in the journey towards lessening our ecological footprint by: Reducing energy use in buildings, using fuel efficient cars, Reducing water consumption by wise use and reuse of water, Reducing paper usage, recycling where possible. Working with Diocesan schools on their Environmental Programs. Demonstrate commitment through articles in the media. Parish: Working with each Church Community to improve local and individual Energy wise, Water wise and Waste wise practices, Take on a project which demonstrates to the wider community our commitment towards the environment. Personal: Reduce personal usage of energy, use renewable energy products, reuse and recycle where possible; ask ‘Do I need it’ before buying, make choices which involve sound environmental ethics. Jesus walked very humbly on the Earth. The Major Issues Climate Change: Evidence from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change and many other scientists, geologists, oceanographers and climatologists around the world now leave us in no doubt that our climate has warmed dramatically in the last 50 years. The proportion of ‘greenhouse gases’ in the atmosphere has increased in line with global warming, and it is highly probable that human activity, in particular the use of fossil fuels for energy, is largely responsible for this. Countries with low lying coastlands are losing coastline at metres per year, as well as having sea water bubbling up through the earth in low lying areas, and some of our own neighbours in the Pacific are looking for refugee placement because of this. Extreme weather conditions, avalanches and glacial melt are predicted as a result climate change, and it is probable that we are already seeing this process in action. Loss of Biodiversity: We have all heard of Australia’s high level of species extinction since European settlement, but the implication of this is less well understood. At the ecosystem level, loss or fragmentation of our unique ecosystems to agriculture or other human use, especially the wetlands and forest systems, has so reduced habitat for indigenous species that our rate of extinction wins the global gold medal. At the species level, all the above, plus hunting, predation by introduced animals and the effects of a warming climate or ocean on temperature range limits have contributed to species loss. In some ways loss of biodiversity at the genetic level is the most significant as it is this very factor that has enabled evolution to produce so effectively the variety of life forms that over time have inhabited the earth. Loss from the gene pool of life due to all the human behaviours described above, plus our insistence on huge monocultures of the crops we want, is threatening the future of life on earth. Water: Australia is the driest continent on earth, we are already arguing over the use of the precious water we have, and a warming climate may well make the situation worse. There is a need for exemplary management of the water sources we have in order to produce the best outcomes for all, including those who have no human voice. Salinity: Ours is an ancient and naturally saline continent. The vegetation that evolved to cope with Australian soils and climatic conditions kept water tables low and was, to some extent, salt tolerant. The clearing of vast acreages of native vegetation, and subsequent planting and watering of shallow rooted crops has changed this situation, brought salt to the surface soils, and is now both affecting water supplies and challenging our potential food supply by steadily creeping across the land. We have enough understanding of the situation to be able to intervene in this process, but good management, as in so many situations, often comes second best to vested interest and financial gain.