Judith Russenberger

Windows of Opportunity

10th December 2023

Universal free transport

“A new statutory obligation to provide universal, equal, and affordable access to public transport should underpin any national transport strategy. Two of the UK government’s most important strategic objectives are addressing regional inequalities (‘levelling up’) and net zero.

“Achieving net zero requires phasing out fossil fuels – and replacing 30 million fossil fuel-powered cars and vans.

“But many parts of the UK depend on private car use. Without prior access to affordable and sustainable public transport, a rapid push to decarbonisation risks harming lives and livelihoods.

“People rely on transport to access shops, entertainment, and jobs.

“If the government is to meet its objectives, universal, UK-wide public transport access is essential.

“What is a universal public transport obligation?

“A universal public transport obligation would make it a statutory requirement for local government and transport authorities to make sustainable forms of public transport available and accessible to everyone everywhere in the UK. It would also set low costs for all users, extending fare caps already in effect in the Transport for London zone to the whole country.” (1)

(1) https://www.ice.org.uk/news-insight/news-and-blogs/ice-blogs/the-infrastructure-blog/public-transport-for-all-net-zero-levelling-up-uk

2nd Sunday of Advent

10th December 2023

Reflection (Readings following on below)

How do we comfort the people of Gaza or the people of Israel?

How do we comfort the people of Kenya afflicted by drought and floods? The people of North Sudan caught up in civil war? The millions of refugees across the world who are homeless and struggling? How do we comfort farmers whose crops have failed, whose livestock have died?

How? By preparing a way through the wilderness of our current world. By levelling a pathway we can all journey along together.

We need to level up the conditions in which people live. Everyone needs and – if we truly care our neighbour this should be unquestionable – should have clean water, a safe home, heating or shade as appropriate, sufficient and wholesome food, access to medicine, to education, the means of communication and transport, access to reliable energy supplies, life affirming work or a purposeful occupation. We also know – or should know – that we all need to live in a world rich in biodiversity so levelling up must involve the natural environment. A biodiverse rich world is one in which resources are used and garnered sustainably – and indeed where natural resources are enriched – regenerated.

When the present UK government stood for election, it did so with a manifesto that promised levelling up for the more disadvantaged parts of the nation. But what it did not talk about was levelling down. You cannot level up without levelling down.

To fill up the valleys the hills and mountains had to be brought low. The world’s resources are finite. Even those that are renewable are only renewable within certain time frames. To renew a field of wheat takes a year, to renew a forest will centuries.

Levelling up and levelling down: the key is to redistribute resources and wealth more equitably. That has to mean the rich having to forgo some of their privileges and give over some of their wealth and use less of the world’s resources just as Mary says in the Magnificat: “He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty”. It is a biblically based and unavoidable imperative.

This year it was reported that the richest 10% of the global population currently takes 52% of global income, whereas the poorest half of the population earns 8.5% of it. Billions of people face the terrible hardship of high and rising food prices and hunger, whilst the number of billionaires has doubled in the last decade. Between 2019 and 2020, global inequality grew more rapidly than at any time since WW2. (1) To compound the injustice, the richest 1% of humanity is responsible for more carbon emissions than the poorest 66% and it is the poorest who are suffering disproportionately the adverse affects of the climate crisis.

But even within nations there is inequality. Here in the UK the richest 1% of households have fortunes of at least £3.6m, whilst the poorest 10% of households have just £15,400 or less, with almost half burdened with more debts than they had in assets. (ONS January 2022). One in ten households face food insecurity; one in five have to choose between eating and heating. Typically on any one night 2,400 people are sleeping rough, 15,000 people are in hostels or supported accommodation and nearly 250,000 are living in temporary accommodation – most of whom are families.

Advent is a time of waiting for the coming of the reign of God. It is not about passive waiting, but, as the parables of the kingdom season demonstrated, active waiting. A waiting that involves carrying on doing the work with which we have been tasked by Jesus until he comes again with the full glory of the kingdom of God. Advent is a time to be diligent in living lives of “holiness and godliness”. A time to be living lives that “bring good news to the poor…. proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

It is a time to level up the low places and level down the high places, whether that is through personal actions, through the support of charities, through campaigning on issues of wealth and taxation, and on issues on injustice, or through advocacy and prayer. Then when Christmas comes we may perhaps more confidently hear again the words of the angel: “See I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

(1) https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2023/jul/17/top-economists-call-for-action-global-inequality-rich-poor-poverty-climate-breakdown-un-world-bank?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her

that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,

that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.

A voice cries out:

“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.

Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All people are grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand for ever.

Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good tidings;

lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not fear;

say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”

See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;

his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,

and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

1 You have been gracious to your land, O Lord, *
you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.

2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people *
and blotted out all their sins.

8 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, *
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn their hearts to him.

9 Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *
that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth have met together; *
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, *
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

12 The Lord will indeed grant prosperity, *
and our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness shall go before him, *
and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”

John the baptiser appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptised you with water; but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.”

Windows of Opportunity

9th December 2023

Increasing public transport

“Bus services have been cut by more than 80% in the past 15 years in some parts of England and Wales in a “silent war” on users, research has found. Outside London, bus services plummeted by more than 60% in 80 local authority areas, the study added. The University of Leeds, in conjunction with the charity Friends of the Earth, examined timetables across England and Wales since 2008. It found urban and rural services had decreased by 48% and 52% respectively – with some localities faring worse than others.” (1) (1) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/28/bus-services-cut-by-more-than-80-perent-in-parts-of-england-and-wales-since-2008-finds-study?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

This year the TUC produced a report entitled ‘Public transport fit for the climate emergency’ which “sets out a plan for the investment in public transport throughout England and Wales that has long been needed. From town and cities, to villages and rural communities, this plan would mean more services, new routes, cheaper fares and modern fleets of low emission vehicles. This radical transformation must be funded by central government and delivered by local and regional transport authorities. And we should all get a say on the transport needs where we live and how this investment is allocated. Passengers, local communities, and transport workers should all be consulted on public transport improvement plans where they live and work.

“The investment proposed by this report would achieve the transition to low-carbon transport needed to honour our climate action agreements with the rest of the world. It would generate green and sustainable economic growth in regions across England and Wales. And it would directly create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the transport sector, plus many more in construction and manufacturing supply chains.

“As well as cheaper, more extensive and reliable buses, trams and trains, we would have cleaner air to breath. And the roads would be less congested for all road users.” (2) https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/public-transport-fit-climate-emergency

Windows of Opportunity

8th December 2023

Planting what grows best

Trees, peat bogs, and seaweed forests all absorb and store carbon. Trees provide shade from the sun and protection from the wind and heavy rain. Trees and peat bogs slow the flow of water and prevent flooding. Seaweed forests and mangroves protect the sea bed and vulnerable shore lines. Cutting down trees and clearing forests, and draining bogs and wetlands released carbon and exposes the land to degradation.

“The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) …advice on the sixth bin budget , covering 2033-2037, estimates that woodland cover in the UK would increase to 17% by 2050 if the Government meets its target of planting 30,000 hectares of trees annually from 2025. The Committee suggest it would be feasible to increase planting to 30,000 – 70,000 hectares of trees from 2035, leading to an increased woodland cover of up to 20%” (1) Woodland cover is currently around 13%.

The Wetlands and Wildlife Trust aims “to bring back some of these vital habitats, calling for the creation and restoration of 100,000 hectares of healthy, well-managed wetlands across the nation.” (2)

“A study earlier this year [2021] concluded that 92% of the UK’s seagrass has been lost in the past two centuries, with 39% disappearing just since the 1980s, thanks to pollution from industry, mining and farming, along with dredging, bottom trawling and coastal development…. A consortium, including Project Seagrass, WWF and Swansea University, has planting more than 750,000 seagrass seeds in Dale Bay in Pembrokeshire, with the aim of eventually restoring 3,000 hectares (12 sq miles) of meadows in the UK by 2030. That area of seagrass could suck up the emissions of 3,000 small cars, create a habitat for billions of small animals, support 4,700 more fish than bare sediment, and increase sediment strength tenfold to prevent erosion.” (3)

(1) https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9084/CBP-9084.pdf

(2) ) https://www.wwt.org.uk/news-and-stories/news/the-state-of-global-wetlands-in-2021-new-report

(3) https://www.swansea.ac.uk/press-office/news-events/news/2020/03/750000-seeds-planted-in-wales-inuks-biggest-seagrassrestoration-scheme-.php

Windows of Opportunity

7th December 2023

30:30 Biodiversity target

“Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.” (1)

Just as importantly biodiverse rich habitats are more resilient in the face of extreme weather events than less biodiverse habitats, and often incorporate their own protective mechanisms. In other words, biodiverse rich habitats provide us with the safest place to be.

The Convention of Biological Diversity at COP15 agreed that globally we should aim to protect at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. The UK is one of more than 100 nations who signed up to this target.

So far there is considerable scope for improvement. The British Ecological Society’s report, 2020, warned that the UK was on track to miss a pledge to protect 30% of its land and sea by 2030, with some analyses warning just 5% of the nation’s land is effectively protected. The report recommended that protected habitats under the 30×30 pledge need to put biodiversity first and foremost…To achieve this, a wide range of different habitat types need to be protected, with many existing areas requiring stronger protections than they currently have. National parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty could be included in this, if they are reformed to prioritise biodiversity…Connections between sites which allow wildlife to move are important to link up the relatively disparate network of protected areas in the UK. This could consist of physical corridors, stepping stones between them, or by improvements to non-protected land. (2)

(1) https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/biodiversity/why-is-biodiversity-important/

(2). https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2022/april/uk-set-miss-pledge-protect-30-of-territory-2030.html

Windows of Opportunity

6th December 2023

Install more heat pumps

“In most of Europe, fitting a heat pump is one of the most powerful actions a person can take to reduce their carbon footprint” reported the Guardian (1)

“To give an example: two-thirds of Norwegian households have heat pumps due to taxes on carbon heating and their government’s decision to train a workforce to install them. Norway, of course, is a small and wealthy country. But if we are serious about ending our reliance on fossil fuels, then more carbon taxes and emissions-limiting regulations are necessary – even if free-market ideologues deny this and ignore the role of subsidies and investment decisions in upholding the status quo.” (2)

Currently the UK government is providing a £7500 grant towards the installation of a heat pump although the property must be adequately insulated. The property must have an eligible Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) issued in the last 10 years, with no outstanding recommendations to install loft or cavity wall insulation – again an area where the government should be taking an active lead.

(2) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/24/the-guardian-view-on-the-carbon-divide-climate-policies-must-target-the-private-jet-set?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

(1) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/23/norway-heat-pumps-cold-heating?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Windows of Opportunity

5th December 2023

Universal Energy Allowance

“Energy For All will give every household the essential energy they need to stay safe and well, for free. Higher amounts will be given to those in greater need due to age, health, disability, children or leaky housing. No unfair standing charges or prepayments. Not cut off when money is tight. And leaky homes upgraded.

The UK is a wealthy nation, but millions are suffering from fuel starvation and forced to live in cold damp homes. Existing support is clearly inadequate and being further reduced. We need a real safety net that people don’t fall through. And pricing that is not upside-down, with poorer people forced to pay more per unit than the wealthy.

The money needed to give us all energy security can come from the grotesque profits being made by fossil fuel companies enjoying artificially inflated prices. And from higher tariffs for extravagant, wasteful use of energy. Our government is subsidising fossil fuels with millions of pounds every day. Fuel Poverty Action started the Energy For All campaign to end these injustices for good.”

https://energyforall.org.uk/

In October a 650,000 strong petition was delivered by Energy For All to the Prime Minister.
If this is, as I believe, a beneficial system for a healthy society, should it not also be suggested (with financial support if necessary) to nations transitioning to net zero?

Windows of Opportunity

4th December 2023

Insulate Homes

“Our energy system is broken. People across the UK are paying sky-high bills and feeling the brunt of living in poorly insulated homes. But the solutions already exist. Find out what we’re campaigning for and how we’ll win.”

“It’s critical the government starts investing in insulation now to prevent devastating choices over the coming months and years. There are approximately 8 million homes in the UK in need of loft or cavity wall insulation, or both. Each of these measures is estimated to save approximately 20% on household energy bills. A home that undergoes both upgrades could save around 40%. With average household bills soaring into the thousands, that’s a serious saving!

What are we calling for?

A rapid programme of basic insulation measures

United for Warm Homes is calling for emergency programmes of insulation and energy-saving measures, funded by the UK government. Different approaches might be needed in different nations, but in England this should be council-led and delivered street-by-street. A street-by-street approach will ensure the insulation programme is as efficient as possible, and increase take-up.

The programme should start in neighbourhoods that are most affected by fuel poverty, as identified in our energy crisis hotspot data. By doing this, we can help as many people as possible stay warm during the cold winter months. The programme should be free of charge to all households in low-income neighbourhoods, and it should also include rented properties, as private renters are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty.

Measures should include:

loft and cavity wall insulation
draught-proofing
thermostatic radiator valves
smart heating controls
energy audits, to help determine which improvements would be best for which homes.

We’re asking for a £15 billion programme, spread over 3 years to ensure basic insulation is urgently implemented across the UK.” https://www.unitedforwarmhomes.uk/campaign-issue-guides/our-asks-emergency-programme-insulate-our-homes

1st Sunday of Advent

3rd December 2023

Reflection (readings are below)

My mother once commented that it would be helpful if when you were first pregnant your toenails turned blue. Usually there is no visible sign of the new presence in your life – it’s still a hidden mystery.

Is that true of God’s presence in the world? Would God’s presence be less of a mystery if God really did tear open the heavens, set fire to the brush wood and boil the rivers?

Or is it that the signs are there and we are not reading them correctly? This last summer was a record season for bush fires, and many rivers ran dry, the water – if not boiling – then evaporating. If so, these signs of God’s presence have a message: if you misuse the world that God has created, there will be adverse consequences.

And do we tremble as we see forest fires rage in other parts of the world? Do we quake when we see floods destroy homes and livelihoods in other parts of the globe? (We, that is, in the wealth secure west). Or do we remain convinced that we are invincible, that the climate crisis will not affect our lives?

Let’s suppose we did recognise God’s presence in the world, that we did let our hearts and minds be stunned by what we saw. Would we then repent wholeheartedly of the harm we had caused? Would we then wholeheartedly reorientate our lives to align with God’s will for the care of creation? Would we then wholeheartedly seek to heal and make good the damage we had caused?

This week saw the formal adoption of the global Loss and Damage fund at COP28 – an acknowledgement that the most vulnerable are suffering disproportionately from the effects of climate change caused disproportionately by the wealthy nations, and that therefore those with monetary wealth should assist those with out.

A laudable scheme except that the sums of money proffered by the rich are miserly. The UK government has offered £60million whilst being fully aware of calculations prepared by Christian Aid, that somewhere in the region of £15billion (1) would be the appropriate contribution to a global fund which will need to be distributing $100billion a year.

We need to do better. We need to ask more of our government. To echo the words of the Psalmist, ‘Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.’

In this season of Advent, we remind ourselves again that even whilst we are living through a time of suffering, there will come a time of salvation when Christ’s glory will be fully revealed, will be fully made present. As we wait, as we direct our lives towards that future, it is faith in/ of Jesus that will enrich us in word and deed.

Yet waiting is not about do nothing. It is not about being passive. It is not about abdicating our responsibilities. It is about working diligently to bring in the kingdom. It is about doing all that we can – in word and deed – to ensure justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.

May all these three shape the discussions and outcomes of COP28!

(1) https://www.christianaid.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/climate-change/loss-and-damage-faqs

Isaiah 64:1-9

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
so that the mountains would quake at your presence–

as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil–

to make your name known to your adversaries,
so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

From ages past no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,
who works for those who wait for him.

You meet those who gladly do right,
those who remember you in your ways.

But you were angry, and we sinned;
because you hid yourself we transgressed.

We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.

We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

There is no one who calls on your name,
or attempts to take hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us,
and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord,
and do not remember iniquity forever.
Now consider, we are all your people.

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
stir up your strength and come to help us.

3 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts, *
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6 You have made us the derision of our neighbours, *
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, *
the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.

17 And so will we never turn away from you; *
give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

18 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind– just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you– so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mark 13:24-37

Jesus said, “In those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Windows of Opportunity

3rd December 2023

Ban Private Jets

“Aviation is the source of an important chunk of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in high-income countries. To mitigate climate change it is thus of paramount importance to massively limit the hours of fossil-fueled flying.

BanPrivateJets.org wants to stress that, to achieve this, it is necessary to develop and implement socially acceptable policy measures…Banning private jets, the namesake of this initiative, is just one example of such measures. It achieves important reductions hitting a very small set of people without making flying more difficult for those who only infrequently do so. As such it should be socially acceptable. Moreover, it communicates the urgency of tackling climate change.

#BanPrivateJets because it hits first those who pollute most
#BanPrivateJets because it doesn’t hit people who fly rarely
#BanPrivateJets because there is no reason to allow them
#BanPrivateJets because something has to be done right now.” https://banprivatejets.org/

In 2019, Labour was considering just such a policy. The Guardian reported “Labour is exploring plans to ban private jets from UK airports from as early as 2025 should it win the election, in the party’s latest broadside against the super-rich.”