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CHRISTIAN ECOLOGY LINK
May 2007
Prayer-Guide
for
The Care of
Creation
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MAY 2007
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow,
Will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”
(Psalm 126.5-6)
“Goodness is stronger than evil;
love is stronger than hate;
light is stronger than darkness;
life is stronger than death;
victory is ours through Him who loves us.”
(Archbishop Desmond Tutu)
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”
(W.H. Murray)
Tuesday 1st May
“The way of solving our problems requires one fundamental
change, a big one, and that is learning that the challenges of our
generation are not us versus them, us versus the terrorists or us versus
Islam; they are us, all of us together on this planet against a set of
shared and increasingly urgent problems. . . . By understanding what we
share with every part of this world in the need to face these challenges,
we can find peace.” (Professor Jeffrey Sachs in his first Reith Lecture)
Wednesday 2nd May
A new report from Oxford Research Group called “Secure Energy?
Civil Nuclear Power, Security and Global Warming” defines the “Energy
Cliff” as the point when the energy needed to convert uranium-bearing
rock into nuclear fuel, to operate and maintain a nuclear power plant, and
to manage its waste, begins to exceed the energy delivered to the
electricity grid. Using data from the IAEA Red Book, the report puts this
point at 2050 if world nuclear capacity remains constant and energy
demand continues to rise by 2-3% a year. If however nuclear capacity
were to remain at 2.2% of world energy supply – so requiring about 40
new nuclear power stations – the “Energy Cliff” is put back to 2070.
Today’s high-grade uranium ore (0.15% U3O8) represents a small
proportion of known deposits. When lower grade ore falls to 0.02% U308,
due to the extra energy needed to extract the uranium, the nuclear
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system produces no net energy. Thus, uranium – like oil – is a finite
resource, with a limited life.
Thursday 3rd May
Because of the limited availability of high-grade uranium, its price
has surged 78% in the last six months. In order to eke out the uranium,
reprocessing plants such as THORP were built to produce MOX (mixed
oxide) fuel and reactor-grade plutonium. These materials are equally
suitable for use in nuclear weapons. Accurate monitoring of the amount
of plutonium in stock is impossible. A loss of just 1% a year from a
reprocessing plant is enough to produce one nuclear weapon a month.
Small quantities of plutonium could be stolen or diverted without risk of
detection by IAEA inspectors or plant operators. Last January a Russian
was caught by US agents offering to sell 100 g. of weapons-grade
uranium which, he claimed, was just a sample. Russian officials have not
disclosed its source.
Friday 4th May
Report No. 22 of 2004 from the Department of Science &
Technology stated: “No reactors have been designed specifically to
withstand the impact of a large commercial aircraft.” In fact, terrorists
need only attack the power lines carrying electricity into a nuclear plant,
or otherwise disable the cooling system, to cause a massive release of
radioactivity from the reactor core. Any new nuclear facility would:
 Create potential targets for terrorists, from waste tanks and
generators to moving targets such as ‘waste trains’ and MOX
transporters;
 Increase the availability of MOX and reactor-grade plutonium for
use in a dirty bomb or crude nuclear weapon, and
 Spread the knowledge, materials and technology needed to
develop nuclear weapons.
Saturday 5th May
The DTI in its report “The Energy Challenge” says that 6 gigawatts
of new nuclear capacity are needed by 2025. But if the UK followed the
German growth in solar PV energy in the last five years, the UK would
achieve its 6 gigawatts extra capacity by 2018. If the UK followed the
German growth in wind power over the last nine years, then by 2020
wind power would provide well over six times the generating capacity of
BNFL’s estimate for new build nuclear power stations.
How did Germany get so far ahead? “This was primarily achieved by
means of a ‘feed-in’ tariff, which guarantees a price for each kilowatt
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hour of electrical energy generated renewably and fed into the grid. The
size of the guaranteed price is falling, but the installed capacity continues
to rise exponentially. Other countries including Greece, Spain and Italy,
plus the State of California, are following this approach.” Why not
Britain?
Sunday 6th May
Father, we pray for all who are working in industries which offer
outstanding powers for good or ill over the rest of humanity – the nuclear
industry, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, the
biotechnological industry. Be with them when they face conflicts between
their beliefs and their apparent interests. Support them in every crisis
and make your presence known to them, especially when they face
pressures to conform.
Monday 7th May
In 2006 President Bush signed a directive which stated that
“freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air
power and sea power.” This appears to be a claim that the US can do
what it likes in space and a rejection of any new treaty or arms control
agreement that would limit US activities there. What is certain is that
neither Russia nor China will accept a US dominance of space, as this
would represent a near-revolution in warfare and geopolitics.
Tuesday 8th May
Last September the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan signed a treaty to ban the
production, acquisition or deployment of nuclear weapons and to forbid
the hosting or transportation of nuclear weapons for third parties. The
entire continents of South America, Africa and Australasia are already by
treaty Nuclear Weapons Free Zones (NWFZs) together with the South
Pacific and South East Asia. At the same time 15 Middle East countries
including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Egypt proposed a similar NWFZ
and called on Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In the
European Parliament a motion was put calling for the withdrawal of US
nuclear weapons from European territory by the end of 2006. Meanwhile
the prospects for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty remain stalled in the
face of US intransigence. All such initiatives may flounder unless there is
massive public pressure on politicians and diplomats. We can all support
individuals and organisations pushing for these vital steps. “If you think
you’re too small to have an impact, try sleeping with a mosquito”. (Anita
Roddick)
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Wednesday 9th May
The USA currently needs to import over 50% of its oil. China will
reach the same point in 2010. Both countries, like most of the developed
world, rely heavily on Middle East oil. Four countries around the Persian
Gulf together have two-thirds of proven oil reserves. Competition for oil
supplies is already intense, with China drawing most of its supplies from
Iran and the USA from Saudi Arabia. Unless dependence on oil can be
drastically reduced, the region faces further instability and conflict. The
imperatives of climate change make it even more urgent to end our
addiction to oil.
Thursday 10th May
The town of Woking has achieved a small miracle. Its town centre
has become self-sufficient in energy and produces a surplus to sell. By
creating its own electricity grid, independent of the national grid, it
connects to numerous mini-power stations, generating renewable
electricity. During the day, thousands of rooftop PV cells convert sunlight
into power. At night, power is supplied by a power station using fuel-cell
technology, a renewable resource that uses waste hydrogen from
industrial processes. Woking’s fuel-cell generator not only provides
power: it produces a million litres a year of clean water as a by-product.
The technology is already with us. All that is needed is the political will to
scale it up.
Friday 11th May
Recent government figures show that CO2 emissions from power
stations, motor vehicles and homes during 2006 rose by 6.4 million
tonnes above 2005 emissions – the highest level since Labour came to
power in 1997 – making it impossible to reach its long-standing target of
a 20% cut by 2010. David Miliband explained that the rise resulted from
a switch from natural gas to coal for electricity generation “because it
was cheaper.” Emissions from transport also showed a big rise from
2005 figures. Caroline Lucas MEP said: “It isn’t setting the right targets
alone that matters. It’s also enacting the policies to meet them. The
Government has failed so often on this front that it gets harder with each
passing day to believe a word it utters on the subject.”
Saturday 12th May
The latest IPCC report “Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation
and Vulnerability” concludes that sea levels are already rising and 100
million people who live less than a metre above sea level are at risk of
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losing their homes and livelihoods. In India and China people could go
hungry as crops fail due to global warming. Floods, heatwaves, storms
and droughts are expected to increase, with people in poorer countries
suffering the worst effects. The IPCC experts state clearly that some
climate change is already unavoidable, but there is still time to protect
ourselves against some of the most disastrous effects. Dr. Lara Hansen,
chief scientist of WWF’s Climate Change Programme, said: “The
frustrating thing is that we have all the tools at hand to limit climate
change and save the world from the worst impacts. It becomes an
economic as much as an ethical priority to defend what remains of
nature: mangroves and coral reefs protect coasts, forests protect
watersheds. Our societies depend upon nature, but we have undermined
it for centuries. Now, with climate change, we are attacking the very
basis of the natural world – putting us all at risk.”
Sunday 13th May. Rogation Sunday
Almighty God, whose will it is that the earth should bear its fruits in
their seasons, bless the labours of those who work on the land. Bless the
increase of crops and grain and fruit-bearing trees, that bread, wine and
wholesome food may be shared and enjoyed by all. Amen.
Monday 14th May
Today at Sarum College, Salisbury, from 9.45 to 4.35 there is a
seminar on “A Christian Response to Climate Change: Theology and
Action”. The day is open to all interested people. There will be discussion
on the Christian theology of climate, the science of climate change, and
actions Christians and others can take to stabilise and adapt to climate
change. Speakers: Dr. Edward Echlin and Ruth Jarman, co-ordinator of
Operation Noah. Cost: £40 including lunch. For more details email:
[email protected] or visit: www.sarum.ac.uk
Tuesday 15th May
Coral reefs act as natural barriers against tidal surges and provide
livelihoods for 100 million people as well as being the basis for tourism
and fishing industries worth $30 billion annually. According to the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature 20% of coral reefs
have already been wrecked by over-fishing and coral bleaching due to
rising sea temperatures, but increased protection can help the reefs to
recover after heat waves and make sure they are not lost for ever. Some
of the most vulnerable areas lie in South-east Asia and the Indian
Ocean. In the Maldives, an island state of which 80% lies no more than 1
metre above sea level, the government is investing in afforestation
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schemes to avert beach erosion and to protect its coral reefs.
“Governments and the conservation community need to step up marine
protection if we are to support the global effort to tackle climate change.”
Wednesday 16th May
Today from 2 to 8 pm Churches Together in Cumbria
Environmental Group meets at Rydal House. Subjects for discussion
include the Stern Review, the 4th IPCC Report, the Cumbria Sustainable
Communities Project, and Population. The meeting begins with worship
and there is a break for dinner. For more details email John Smith at:
[email protected]
Thursday 17th May
According to an environmental group which includes the RSPB,
WWF, Greenpeace and FoE, a misjudged push for biofuels could instead
damage the climate and trash rainforests. The Government’s Renewable
Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) could see businesses producing
biofuels by destroying rainforests and wetlands, not only threatening
endangered habitats and species but also releasing far more carbon into
the atmosphere than could ever hope to be saved by replacing fossil
fuels. The destruction of forests and peatlands in Brazil and Indonesia to
grow crops for biofuels would add huge volumes of CO2 to the
atmosphere. A sustainable RTFO must:
 Ensure that biofuels are audited for sustainability and greenhouse
gas balance standards, including at least a 50% saving on
greenhouse gases compared to fossil fuels;
 Take account of the greenhouse gases caused by land-use change
and forest clearance, so that where high carbon land-uses are lost,
no saving is claimed.
With these safeguards in place, biofuels are more likely to contribute to a
reduction in emissions from transport without damaging the environment.
Friday 18th May
In a landmark decision in the USA, the Supreme Court has ruled
that the Environmental Protection Agency not only has the right to
regulate the emission of climate-warming gases, but it must do so unless
it can provide scientific reasons for its refusal. American car
manufacturers responded to the decision by saying they “look forward to
working constructively with Congress and the Administration in
developing a national approach.” The president of the Alliance of
Automobile Manufacturers called for “a national, federal, economy-wide
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approach to addressing greenhouse gases. This decision says that the
US Environmental Protection Agency will be part of that process.”
Saturday 19th May
Cornwall’s A30 Bodmin to Indian Queens new dual carriageway is
to be Britain’s biggest “green” road project. 90% of the construction
material used has come from waste generated by the china clay industry.
By recycling waste materials from local sources there is a big reduction
in lorry journeys and carbon emissions with less traffic disruption and
pollution. The new road skirts the edge of Goss Moor, a National Nature
Reserve, while a large part of the old route will be turned into an access
for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. The new road is due to open by
the summer, when up to 30,000 cars are expected to use it.
Sunday 20th May
Lord, help us to see in the groaning of creation
not death throes but birth pangs;
Help us to see in suffering a promise for the future,
because it is a cry against the inhumanity of the present.
Help us to glimpse in protest the dawn of justice,
to see in the Cross the pathway to resurrection,
and in suffering the seeds of joy.
(Rubem Alves)
Monday 21st May
Today begins Walk to School Week, when children everywhere
focus on the need to reduce the pollution caused by driving to school. On
short journeys, when the engine is cold and the car keeps stopping and
starting in traffic jams, the “school run” can be one of the most polluting
journeys a child can make. The list of pollutants includes carbon
monoxide (a poisonous odourless gas), carbon dioxide (a major cause of
global warming), benzene (which can cause cancer) and minute specks
of soot (a 10th of the width of a human hair) which can enter the lungs
and make breathing harder. Even worse, levels of pollutants inside a car
are at least 3 times worse than on the pavement nearby. Walking to
school is as much “doing your bit” for the planet as is recycling your
bottles or turning off lights. You could even find it quicker, healthier and
less stressful. For more details email: [email protected]
or visit: www.walktoschool.org.uk
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Tuesday 22nd May
Following a 2-year investigation by the Environment Agency (EA),
Grosvenor Waste Management has been fined £55,000 with £85,000
costs for illegally transporting household waste for processing in
developing countries in South East Asia. The company pleaded guilty to
exporting around 1.8 million kgs. of unsorted household waste to India,
China and Indonesia. Under the rules, waste paper and glass can be
sent abroad for recycling, but mixed waste is subject to strict rules
whereby the EA and the receiving country must give their approval. The
waste Grosvenor was sending abroad included nappies, food waste,
textiles, cardboard, plastic drink bottles, tin cans, black plastic bags and
even, in one container, an animal’s hind quarter.
Wednesday 23rd May
Portugal aims to produce 39% of its energy from renewable
sources by 2010, as compared with the UK target of 10%. It is to invest
in fifteen 100 MW. biomass power stations, fuelled by agricultural waste
and wood from natural forests. Environmentalists hope that this will
encourage the country to implement better protection against forest fires
which each year devastate vast swathes of forest. Unlike other countries
which are converting land from food crops to fuel crops, Portugal plans to
use only existing forest land and, provided the forest is sustainably
managed, the quest for biomass may actually protect the forest.
Thursday 24th May
In “The Weather Makers” Tim Flannery explains why carbon
sequestration, whereby CO2 produced in coal-fired power stations is
compressed into liquid form and pumped into subterranean caverns, is a
non-starter:
 The new process of coal gasification produces carbon monoxide
which, when converted to CO2, becomes economic to capture.
Unfortunately coal gasification plants take a long time to build and
are expensive to run.
 The new power stations would need to be built near existing
caverns or incur the expense of a new pipeline costing $1 million a
mile. Unless existing shafts can be used, new shafts 1 kilometre
deep must be excavated.
 Compressing the CO2 into liquid form would require 20% of the
electricity generated by the power station.
 The stored CO2 must be monitored for ever. Any leakage could kill
thousands of people or animals. During volcanic eruptions CO2 can
be a major cause of death.
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In any case, carbon sequestration would be unlikely to store more than
10% of global human-made CO2 emissions by 2050. In fact, little work on
carbon sequestration has been done. The government-inspired publicity
may be aimed to convince an increasingly worried public that something
is being done about climate change – and to avoid the necessity of
persuading us to reduce our emissions.
Friday 25th May
The Scottish Executive has voted £4.1 million for the building of the
world’s biggest wave farm near Stromness in the Orkneys. The first
Pelamis 520 foot long tubular wave converter has been installed and
successfully tested. When three other converters are operational next
year, the plant will produce sufficient electricity for around 3,000 homes.
According to experts, every metre of Scottish coastline has enough wave
energy reaching it to power 100 homes. Scottish wave and tidal power
could supply three times the energy needs of the whole United Kingdom.
Saturday 26th May
A report from the International Institute for Environment and
Development (IIED) says that in the 20 years since the Brundtland
Commission defined sustainable development as “development which
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs” the effort to put the planet on a
path to sustainable development has been “woefully inadequate”. The
IIED calls for three major changes:
 Traditional, local and non-Western approaches should play a major
role in a new globally-shared drive towards genuine sustainable
development;
 There should be a shift from the inviolability of economic growth to
the inviolability of human well-being and environmental limits;
 Governments should account for the economic and social benefits
provided from natural resources and for the costs of managing
such natural resources.
“Sustainable development is never going to materialize as a result of
edicts from New York or Geneva. It needs to be constructed, shared and
implemented in a truly global way that takes account of traditional, local
and non-Western approaches. Instead of top-down plans and wish-lists,
we need to look from the bottom up, linking the many approaches that
actually work. Wiring together new systems, not rehashing plans, is the
key to shaping a new era in sustainable development.”
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Sunday 27th May
Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and
affections of sinful men, grant unto thy people that they may love the
thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise;
that so, amongst the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our
hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. (Book of Common Prayer)
Monday 28th May
Biological weapons are banned by the 1972 Biological and Toxin
Weapons Convention, but as there are no inspection procedures, the
treaty has no teeth. This did not matter too much since most agents
apart from anthrax lack the characteristics that could make them
effective. But major developments in genetic manipulation and
biotechnology make the development of effective biological weapons
increasingly likely. Negotiations to strengthen the 1972 treaty started 6
years ago but were abandoned in 2004 when it was clear that the Bush
administration was strongly opposed to its domestic biotechnological
industries being open to international inspection. Without an effective
treaty, there is a risk that biological warfare systems will become, for the
first time, highly effective. Pray for an early treaty to ban such weapons
for ever.
Tuesday 29th May
Emissions from aviation are the fastest growing source of
greenhouse gas emissions. Europe’s current strategy is to include
aviation in its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). But the existing ETS
only covers CO2 emissions, whereas aircraft emit far more potent
greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide.
One of the reasons why the ETS has not worked so far is that industries
were handed most of their carbon credits free. Environmentalists believe
that the aviation sector should pay for its carbon credits – otherwise
emissions may actually rise, as has happened under the existing ETS.
The airlines say that this would be unfair as other industries were handed
most of their credits free of charge. The issue remains to be resolved.
Wednesday 30th May
The spirits industry is one of Britain’s biggest consumers of glass,
using more than 500,000 tonnes a year. Now the first 70 cl. drinks bottle
weighing less than 300 grams has appeared on the shelves of Co-op
supermarkets. The Waste & Resources Action Group (WRAP) estimates
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that 150,000 tonnes of glass could be saved each year if the food and
drink industry reduced the average container weight by just 10%. “The
new design proves that it is possible for packaging to be resourceefficient without compromising performance or consumer appeal. We
hope other retailers and brand owners will now follow suit.” To find out
more about lightweight glass containers ring WRAP on 01295 819686 or
email [email protected]
Thursday 31st May
Jeffery Sachs in his first Reith Lecture pointed out that the US
military budget will be $650 billion this year compared to its aid to Africa
of $4.5 billion. Others have pointed out that it would be cheaper to buy
the whole of Afghanistan’s opium poppy crop, and destroy what was not
needed for medical uses, rather than for the military to occupy poppygrowing areas and destroy farmers’ livelihoods. Others again suggest
that one way to protect rainforests from destruction is to buy them up and
lease them for sustainable uses rather than to watch helplessly while
they are converted to unsustainable agriculture. Finally, if Israel were to
use a small part of its huge military budget to promote economic
development in the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinians might begin to
accept the existence of the state of Israel and the desirability of living at
peace with it. Is this an idea whose time has come?
Sources:
Secure energy: Civil Nuclear Power, Security & Global Warming
(Oxford Research Group Briefing Paper)
Beyond Terror by Chris Abbott, Paul Rogers & John Sloboda.
(Rider Books £4.99)
www.edie.net & www.scidev.net
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Website: www.christian-ecology.org.uk
Pictures on front cover: Mayflower/Cuckoo-flower/Milkmaid/Ladies Smock (Cardamine
pratensis) – a pink flower in UK meadows now, and food for the Orange-tip butterfly
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