Vicar's letter
| Energy, Waste and Climate Change |
Vicar's letter |
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Our world is facing very great challenges. We wish the developing nations to become more prosperous; this is inevitably accompanied by using more energy. It is essentially energy use which is warming up our planet causing the sort of climate changes that will make life much harder for millions of people. We know some of the remedies: use energy sources that do not use fossil fuels; use less energy, travel less, produce less waste, recycle more waste. Yet these are not easy for us to do.
Our own country faces particular challenges. North Sea oil and gas are running out. The world is still a place of uncertainty. Other energy sources have many disadvantages: buying oil and gas from Russia or the Middle East may in time make us dependent on those who are not our friends. Nuclear fuel has the disadvantages of high costs and how to treat the waste. Reusable energy, wind and water can both be visually very intrusive and ugly and harm wildlife.
Travel is greatly enriching; it broadens our horizons, it links friends and family. Yet it becoming more expensive and where there is overcrowding, more unpleasant. Increasing use of public transport can be expensive.
It is very hard to have good conversations about these matters; radio and television give us strong minded people favouring particular ways forward dismissing other ways out of hand. Yet decisions have to be taken if we are not to risk the disasters from global warming or energy and travel suddenly being rationed.
It is important for us to become informed, to pray for governments and decision makers, to see what we can do ourselves, to add our voice to the public debate we should all welcome and encourage. As a Church we will see what we can do to reduce our use of energy. May God guide us all in these crucial and perplexing matters.
Christopher Morgan – Jones
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