Churches can contribute to reducing the impact of global warming by proposing new lifestyles, according to the vice-chairperson of a United Nations climate panel.
Prof Jean-Pascal van Ypersele of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gave the keynote address at the recent assembly of the European Christian Environment Network in Milan. “There are ways to reduce emissions and churches can contribute to solutions by proposing changes in lifestyle and behaviour patterns,” he told delegates.
Van Ypersele, who is Prof of Climatology and Environmental Sciences at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, said the risks connected with climate change have dramatically increased since 2001.
“A rise of 2 degrees Celsius in average global temperatures is now a strong probability and this will move us closer to a major extinction event,” he said. “We must now look to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by around 95% to attempt to stabilise the climate. And the churches of Europe have a key role to play in leading by word and action.”
More must be done urgently by the churches both in reducing energy demands and investing in greener technologies.
Anglican delegate, Martyn Goss from Exeter, spoke of the need for more radical change. “We cannot continue to live as if there is no tomorrow, disregarding the long-term consequences of our actions,” he said. “As people of faith and hope, Christians can and should speak out and act further on global warming for the sake of the future, and in support of those already bearing the worst effects of climate chaos in more vulnerable places.”