Primate of Southern Africa: "Climate Change is Moral Imperative for All"

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Posted On : May 6, 2011 2:13 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO

ACNS: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/5/6/ACNS4856
Related Categories: South Africa

Primate of Southern Africa: "Climate Change is Moral Imperative for All"

The Most Revd Dr Thabo C Makgoba at the World Economic Forum in Africa

The Archbishop, who is a participant at the World
Economic Forum in Africa, has written to his
faithful that Climatic change must be regarded as
a mortal imperative for all and hopes that others
at WEF will take heed of his call. His full statement follows:
In one sense, I imagine I might be ?preaching to
the choir? about climate change, as we sometimes
say in the church. But even if we agree on its
reality and the dangers which it poses for our
planet and our people, we need to make our
witness bolder and take more courageous steps to
bring others to our state of awareness and to work for real change.

We in the faith communities know that climate
change will be hugely damaging to both people and
our planet. We know too that it is not only an
environmental, economic and social issue but
essentially a moral issue. It must therefore be
solved through moral principles.
We therefore ask this World Economic Forum to
recognize the need to put justice first, in
caring for people and planet, and to recognize
that real prosperity can only come from making
the well being of people and planet our primary
concern. In our world today it seems clear that
we put prosperity ? and profitability ? before
justice, so that at a time when there is more
wealth in the world than ever before, we also
have greater poverty and inequality and alarming environmental destruction.

We are aware of what is happening - globally and
nationally and locally. We are witnessing
unprecedented and severe climatic changes and the
effects are devastating. As the environment is
harmed so are the local communities who live
there. The impact is felt in terms of food
production, of the availability of safe water,
and of energy, in particular. The livelihoods of
people may be changed forever.
When I attended the Lambeth Conference 2008 - a
meeting of Anglican bishops around the world
which is held every 10 years ? and again at the
meeting of Anglican Primates in Dublin earlier
this year (2011) - we were told by some bishops
that when we met again, parts of their dioceses
would no longer be habitable. This is due mainly
in their situations to rising water levels.
Indeed we may be looking very soon at a new
category of refugees in our global family ? environmental refugees!

We can?t ignore these changes just because we
don?t all agree scientifically. There is a need
to look at ourselves. What patterns have changed
in our attitudes to the creation which as been
entrusted to us? How do we view our ?rights? to
energy, water and land, to name but three of our natural resources?

In the Maplecroft Climate Change Risk Report
2009/2010 there was a devastating finding: that
of the 28 areas in the world that would be most
affected by climate change, 22 are in Africa!
That is a frightening and sobering statistic for
those of us living in our amazing continent. It
may also speak to another aspect of the effects
of climate change ? it affects impoverished areas
more. And this may be so, in part, because these
areas have so few alternatives when environmental
changes occur. By simple deduction, we can assume
that the more developed and richer nations have
more alternatives when facing the effects of
climate change, most particularly because of their development and resource s.
We in Africa also have a moral responsibility to
speak out to those nations which have the
greatest impact on climate change, through their
high levels of carbon emissions. We are a global
family ? it is very hard to argue against that
fact. Our actions impact on one another and our
tragedies do as well. As we witness the
insatiable desire for more and more energy, and
increasing levels of deforestation around the
world, we see these nations behaving as if these
resources are limitless. They know and we know that they are not!

I want to say to this World Economic Forum that I
believe your task is not to be led by financial
interests nor to multiply your wealth. Your task
- as is mine and that of all who recognise that
we have responsibility for ourselves, for this
world and all in it - is to be custodians of this
planet, to care for it and look after it for the
future ? the future of your children and grandchildren and mine.

The UNFCCC COP 17 (United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change - Conference of the
Parties) to be held here in Durban in
November-December this year offers the world an
opportunity to change direction. As host we pray
our South African Government will ?do the right
thing? and set an example by seeking climate
justice and radically reducing carbon emissions.

However, we are deeply concerned that South

Africa?s current energy policy as agreed by
Cabinet and presented at Copenhagen falls
seriously short of what science requires if we
are to have any chance of preventing runaway global warming.
We also read in Scripture ?From those to whom
much is given, much is expected? (Luke 12:48).

We look to the United States to give a lead and
to do the right thing as a custodian of this
planet and to make a clear commitment to reduce
carbon emissions in accordance with the needs of
the planet, and to work with the world community
in overcoming this greatest threat humanity has ever faced.

We also look to China. We know the commitment of
China to bring development to its people, as in
our own country. But, we say, do it the right way
and set an example by developing your energy
production only by renewable means.
Might these challenges and needed changes alter
how we live our lives ? especially the more
affluent? They may very well. But we are a global
family and we must learn to live as a caring and
compassionate family ? caring for all, and
especially those who are struggling to find their place.

We must develop energy production through ways
that are not destructive to the planet and the
people, and that of course includes not
destroying our climate and our water resources.
We must live in harmony with the environment. We
therefore call on this World Economic Forum to
recognise that we are totally dependent on this
planet and that we must therefore care for it and
live within its natural constraints.
Issued by the Office of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town