The Green Tau – Page 5 – The Green Tau

Green Tau: issue 89

6th March 2024

Drax and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Earlier this week I joined an action outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero protesting against government plans to continue to subsidise Drax power station. Two key groups campaign against the unsustainable and unethical functioning of this power station – and its smaller sister at Lynemouth. They are ‘Axe Drax’ and ‘Biofuel Watch’. I was invited to speak on behalf of Christian Action. This is what I said.

“As I come from a faith back ground and am part of Christian Climate Action, I thought I would reference one of the trees from the Bible – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We know we humans do not always make good choices, and it was probably not the best of choices that Adam and Eve made when they ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of gold and evil.

But once you have the knowledge of good and evil, would you not be very foolish to to make choices that will cause evil?

If you knew the difference between good and evil when it comes to cutting down primary old- growth forests, would you be foolish enough to continue to cut down those trees? Foolish enough to destroy those ancient and biodiverse habitats? Foolish enough to destroy that long term effective carbon sink?

If you know the difference between good and evil when it comes to shipping products half way round the world, would you be foolish enough to burn shipping fuel just to transport tonnes of timber pellets from the west coast of Canada to the east coast of England just to so you could burn them?

If you knew the difference between good and evil when it comes to generating energy, would you be foolish enough to burn anything when you could alternatively use renewable energy from the sun and the wind and the tides?

And would you be foolish enough to do so at a price that diverts £6 billion of tax payers’ money into subsidising those carbon emissions?

And would you be still foolish enough to offer a further £2.5 billion a year of tax payers’ money to continue importing and burning the wood from those precious forests?

Come on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, think again! Use some common sense!!”

“Drax Power Station, in North Yorkshire, burns 25 millions trees a year that are shipped in from across the world. In September 2022, it was revealed that Drax’s practices abroad are the cause of large scale environmental racism. Trees are condensed down to pellets in factories placed in predominantly Black communities in the global south. The process is so polluting, people are left struggling to breath and often trapped in their own homes. Drax presents itself as a world leader in using BECCS*, and is the worlds biggest burner of trees. They can only operate because of over £6billion in subsidies taken straight from our energy bills, supposedly for renewable energy.” (Axe Drax)

For more information on Drax and the campaign to end such power stations, see https://axedrax.uk/ and https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/axedrax-campaign/

*Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage is the process of extracting bioenergy from biomass and capturing and storing the carbon, thereby removing it from the atmosphere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioenergy_with_carbon_capture_and_storage

Green Tau: issue 88

The climate crisis and insurance companies intersect at three main points.

Climate risks: the risks that insurance companies guard against will include the growing risks associated with extreme adverse weather events. More intense and more frequent floods, wildfires, storms, mud- and landslips will lead to increases in damage to lives and properties. In the short term insurance companies will bear the loss; in the longer term premiums will rise but not necessarily profits.

Underwriting fossil fuel projects: fossil fuel projects – drilling wells, building pipelines, opening mines – need insurance companies who will underwrite the risk of undertaking the project. Ironically these are the very projects that cause climate change and the consequential extreme weather damage for which the insurance companies have to pay out.

Of course insurance companies can be the hero of the day by not underwriting fossil fuel projects and so preventing them from going ahead.

Investing in climate positive or climate negative: to ensure they have sufficient funds to pay out for insurance claims, insurance companies invest the premiums they receive to generate a return. In the past many insurance companies have invested in the fossil fuel industry. This again can be an ironic choice with their fossil fuel investments adding to the climate crisis and thus the size and number of insurance claims being made.

Of course, insurance companies do not have to invest in fossil fuels; there are many other investment opportunities in the renewable energy industry, where profits can be made without damaging the environment.

From 26th February, across the globe, climate activities took part in the week long ‘Insure our Futures’ campaign. The campaign reached out to numerous insurance companies – and groups such as Lloyds of London – inviting them to be the superheroes we need by committing to ensure their company policies exclude the fossil fuel projects that are devastating the world. The campaign was highly creative with dance and song, music and marches and symbolic actions such as forming a human chain around Lloyds of London. Other activists peacefully occupied the offices of key insurance companies whilst passing on information to their staff about the risks of insuring destructive projects such as the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

I took part in one such occupation. Eight of us calmly walked into the foyer of 88 Leadenhall Street which houses the offices of Probitas 1492. We sat quietly on the floor such that we were visible to those coming in and out – but not blocking their passage. We remained there for five hours, praying, singing, reading poems, and hearing once again the speech given by Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, in which he spoke of the urgency of tackling the climate crisis using the famous words that we must now act to do ‘everything, everywhere, all at once.’

Throughout our stay the receptionist and the security staff we polite and pleasant – afterwards we gave them a box of chocolates as a thank you. The police presence (a pair of officers) was also polite: our action was not a criminal offence.

Today, 4th March, Probitas 1492, has officially confirmed that they have not and will not insure neither EACOP nor the West Cumbrian Coalmine. For more details – https://christianclimateaction.org/2024/02/28/christians-occupy-probitas-1492-to-ask-them-not-to-insure-fossil-fuel-projects/

day 10 No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ Vigil

23rd February 2024

The day was crisp and dry as I walked over Westminster Bridge. Even at 6.30 it was already light. The night shift looked warm and cheerful – Ben has the technique of keeping in warm inside the depths of a sleeping bag down to a fine art!

It looks like it will be a beautiful day. The sky is turning blue and the sun is gilding the pale stone of the buildings opposite. Today Brethren Seagull are less focused on feeding and rather more on gliding effortlessly on their perfectly arched wings. Perhaps they too are relish the sunlight.

Maybe it’s the lack of rain but there are more birds around. Several crows fly past, black fingered wings against the blue sky. Then my eye is caught by flashes of white and three magpies swoop round and settle themselves – diplomatically – on top of the Foreign Office.

The pigeons too are favouring the dry weather. One with a very distinctive white ruff I have definitely seen earlier in the week. They peck at microscopic crumbs with which the pavement is apparently littered.

Today is a day for praising God for the beauty of creation.

As the morning passes so the growing patch of sunlight progresses across the Square. St Margaret’s church has a sundial on one side and a clock on another, yet bizarrely the sundial seems to be half an hour slow!

Today I feel like a tourist – or maybe a flaneur – someone with time to spend just watching. I’m enjoying watching the different people walk past. Those going to work, students, holiday makers, police officers and runners: these make up the normal stock in trade. But then there are others – delightful dogs and those walking dogs, runners of different speeds, and – today -lots of Scout leaders! They come thick and fast, with different coloured scarves neatly rolled and fastened round their necks, as well as different coloured lanyards. Often they are wearing a collection of lanyards – much as soldier might wear campaign medals. Some have come from north of the Border and proudly swing past in their kilts. I think there is a service for them in Westminster Abbey.

Maybe it’s the sunshine or maybe because we have been here for so many days, but several staff members and police offices give us a cheery ‘Good Morning’ as they go in or out of the Parliamentary gates.

Today is a day for praising God for the kindness of human.

8pm and I’m back for a final hour. For the first time during the vigil the train is late – about 5 minutes . The Square is in evening mode. Cars chase round the circuit, effortlessly outnumbering buses and taxies. People are walking past in two or threes, chatting and laughing. No longer are they head down forging past on their way to work.

I’m only there for an hour but overlap with four others. The comradeship of the vigil has been special. People have come from far and wide – Bristol and Cheltenham, Liverpool and Sheffield, Scotland and all points of London – and from different groups: Christian Aid and Cafod, Green Christian and Laudate Si, from Just Money and Tearfund, from local churches and of course from CCA.

Today is a day for praising God for friends.

Day nine No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ vigil

22nd February 2024

I managed a 6.30 start this morning as others from the night shift were leaving early. As I crossed Westminster Bridge it was spotting with rain. Prayer stool out – the pavement was still dry. Poncho on creating a little tent – my warm dry space.

Today I am tired. Prayer doesn’t come easily. What more can I say to God that I have not already said?

It feels like the same flow of people passing along the pavement. I even recognise some as ones I have seen several times already this week. Maybe they recognise me – or if not me, then the presence of a small group gathered on the edge of the pavement. Certainly the police think this, and several wish us a ‘Good morning’ as they pass.

My friends the gulls are busy feeding, but no geese today.

Faint trails of prayer: all who pass by are God’s children – children of our heavenly parent.

Pupils from Westminster School drift by sporting a variety of sports gear and musical instruments. Do their lessons include climate change? Do they learn about the right to protest? Might they become members of parliament or civil servants in due course?

God’s kingdom come, God’s will be done. What would this world look like if that were the case? A place of equality, where all have enough food to eat, homes to live, medical aid according to need?

Could those in the building behind us bring in such a world? Is it a world that people would want? Is it a world that faith groups could further?

The rain comes and goes. The flow of people waxes and wanes. I struggle to focus. Up above the sky and the clouds shift and change in colour and intensity.

Time passes. At last Big Ben strikes eleven.

Day Eight of the No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ Vigil

21st February 2024

Another wet morning as I walk across Westminster Bridge. The night shift report that it has only been raining a few hours and that they are all relatively dry. Vanessa and I settle into their seats, draping our ponchos strategically to keep as much dry as possible.

Rain isn’t all bad – Brethren Seagulls are again enjoying a delicious breakfast as they peck their way across the grass.

I stay an hour before moving on to Shell where it’s just as wet! This is my regular Wednesday slot and I receive encouraging greetings and acknowledgements. The ‘F*ck Shell’ from a cyclist is emphatic.

Back to Parliament and where before there were just two vigilers, now there is half a dozen. Likewise the footfall has increased. As tourists gather around the statues in Parliament Square, their umbrellas form an undulating sea of colour.

School children and students on the other hand are less concerned about the rain and walk passed bareheaded. They are seem bemused by our presence. The words from a World War I poem go through my mind: ‘For your tomorrow we gave our today.’ What can we give or do now to ensure a liveable future for this next generation? Our efforts sometimes seem so futile in face of what is coming. On the other side of London, my daughter is on trial with 4 other women for breaking the glass of the offices of JPMorgan Chase in an attempt to give the bank a wake up call about the urgent and catastrophic nature of the climate crisis.

But we are faced not just by a climate crisis: we have a biodiversity crisis, an ecological crisis, and a justice crisis. We need to change the way we live as humans. We cannot go on as greedy beings (mainly those of us in the global north) consuming resources at an annual rate that needs one and three quarter worlds to be sustainable.

We need to change our aspirations and priorities. We need to work together, to collaborate. Does the answer lie with the world faiths? Is this where we should find the teachings and the impetus to create a different and better way of living together as human beings?

Heavenly Parent, may your kingdom come, your will be done.

The rain is not a disincentive. Our numbers continue to swell and soon there are maybe two dozen people plus two beautifully behaved dogs. It is no just tourists and school parties walking by. There are more and more activists – maybe first time activists – with kefir scarves or Palestinian flag and badges, heading for the Cromwell entrance. They are going to Green Card their MPs and use this democratic right to impress upon Parliament the urgent and pressing need for a ceasefire in Gaza. Here is an overwhelming crisis of justice.

Day six of the No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ Vigil

19th February 2024

As I walk over Westminster Bridge just before seven, I see twelve cormorants swoop and swerve and land in the buoyant waters of the Thames.

I’ve come to relieve the night shift who all looked amazingly bright and alert! Maybe being outside for the occasional night is good for us – a bit like the tradition of putting babies outside to sleep in their prams.

Monday morning and these are the going to work hours. The flow of pedestrians (from right to left) comes in rushes as, presumably, the pedestrian crossing upstream turns green. So many people pass by. A few do give a nod or a smile but hundreds don’t. Do they notice us? Or are we blanked out along with so much else that we ignore in order to manage our hectic pace of life? But I notice two passers-by whom I had seen earlier in the week – one who slated us about the futility of prayer; the other who had prayed with us. So maybe it is distraction not disinterest.

From across the street a man shouts an inaudible greeting that could be positive or negative. He weaves his way through the traffic and lands in front of us.

‘Do we want a cigarette? No? Well can he sit down – he’s tired.’

There’s an empty chair so we say yes. He half talks to us and half talks to passers-by shouting out greetings with a ribald feel.

We’re praying we explain. We’re not ignoring him but praying is what we’re doing here.

After a few more minutes he lurches to his feet, leaves and then swings back to give us a final piece of advice.

We continue to pray. Across the Square the trees stand clear and upright but less shiny than they were in the rain.

A smart business man, briefcase in hand, pauses to read the sign. He’s the business side of what we’re doing. Money is the solution to the climate crisis. His company redirects the massive sums of finance needed to boost renewable energy. He advises other companies, knows the people one needs to know. He’s on first name terms with the head of the Church of England’s investment board.

I venture that CCA has been active in encouraging charities and dioceses to switch from Barclays. ‘Why ever so? They have just announced they will not be funding new oil and gas.’

‘Is it that clear cut? They’re still providing a lot of funds for the oil and gas industries.’

‘XR don’t understand. We need oil and gas to keep people supplied with cheap energy in the interim. We can’t just stop investing in oil and gas – you need to invest to continue to the extraction from developing wells. Here, take my business card.’

Earlier the bells at Westminster Abbey chimed in anticipation of the 8 o’ clock prayers. Now they sound for the 10 o’ clock prayers. After I have gone, they will ring again for the noonday service. There are, I think, more services on a week day than a Sunday.

I welcome Michelle who is taking the next hour, gather myself up and walk back over Westminster Bridge now heaving with tourists.

8.00pm for the evening shift. The departing crew are numerous including four from one church -I’m impressed: I’m the only one from my church and I’m a given.

I settle into place tucking my feet under my prayer stool and my hands into my gloves. The banner and thus our place of gathering has shifted. Now I’m facing a tall lamppost. At the top is a round bright line that suggests the moon brightly glowing. But I look up into the clear sky above and there is the genuine thing – serene and surreal, nothing can match her beauty!

On the banner before me are two nightlights their flames gently flickering in jam jars. I’m alone for the first hour – they keep me company, whilst across the Square my other faithful companions remain resolute in their isolation.

Your kingdom come – what were Mandela and Gandhi and Fawcett trying to establish? The right of self determination for the poor and marginalised. For their freedom to live as equally and as comfortably as those with power. For justice.

Evening is the hour of the car. No construction vehicles and work trucks now. Instead fast and expensive cars glide effortlessly around the Square, their sleek outlines contrasting with the workaday shapes of the double decker bus and the London cabs.

We have created a kingdom where the car rules supreme – the pinnacle of a achievement. A luxury self contained capsule where in quiet and ease we can travel oblivious to the troubled lives of others.

Hot of foot Daniel joins me. He is soon drawn down into the other world of the vigil. Here in the edge of the Square we’re not part of the stream of human life that trickles and flows through the Square. We’re not part of the traffic that flows in, and round, and out. We’re part of the infrastructure – living stones – of the Square.

Evening is the hour of entertainment. Those walking by do so with a leisurely gait – hand in hand or laughing. Night tour buses and rickshaw bicycles bedecked with lights loop the Square. One bus is a travelling restaurant serving haute cuisine.

Not everyone’s entertainment has been so refined. Roy is certainly under the influence of something other than fines wine. His clothes too are street weary. He wants to talk, to express his support for what we are doing. His body can’t keep still and his words won’t come out straight. Swear words slip in unbidden – he knows they will but he’s also apologetic. He tries to divert his conversation to the police on gate duty but the wrong words come out – expressions of pent up feelings. He pulses his body together and his feet waver off down the street.

Your kingdom come – what would that look like for Roy? A place where is respected and valued, where his needs are fully furnished not approximated, where he can be free of addiction.

Gentle quiet Esther joins us. The vigil accentuates calmness in those who participate, but some people have it with them always.

The news is full of fighting and the threat of fighting. Your kingdom come – what would it look like in Gaza? In Israel?

Evening is the end of the working day in Parliament. They exit in ones or twos – slightly weary, heading home – or as small groups full of cheer and camaraderie – a good meeting or meal, a successful day! These are mostly young things – political interns or policy makers?

For other Parliamentarians (the more senior ones?) journey home is motorised: the police open and close the heavy metal inner and outer gates that guard the driveway, allowing these solid heavyweight vehicles to slip quietly out before powering off down the street. Others come out wheeling their bikes. Then swinging over a leg, they pedal off into the night.

The night shift arrives equipped with sleeping bags and warm clothes! It’s time for me to move, to unbend my legs, flatten my feet and stretch out my toes.

Day five of the No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ Vigil

18th February 2024

It has rained all night and I hope those outside have stayed warm and reasonably dry

5.40 I dress and pack last things in my bag. Bike lights on. Waterproofs secure. Go. The road is empty and sparkling with the combination of street lights and rain.

Like everywhere else, Parliament Square is sodden but the overnight vigilers are positive! We perform a tricky dance as we swop places, adjust rain clothes, fold and unfold umbrellas. With my ponchos spread like a tent I sit on a small camping stool. Inside a foggy warmth builds up – it keeps me warm if not dry. Waterproofs have a tendency to be less so as the wet persists!

Calm returns and Jonathan and I settle into the composure of vigil.

Jonathan reads a passage by Thomas Merton about rain in which he talks about rhythm and sound of rain. Parliament Square has its own sounds for a wet Sunday morning. There is the swish of car wheels against water. The gentle slap of running shoes – running on a Sunday morning is clearly popular come rain or shine. The illusive sound of wetness that seems to hang in the air.

There are few people walking by. Sunday is not a working day for many. There are no construction vehicles wheeling past, and few delivery vehicles either. Even the police presence is diminished.

The Square has both a daily rhythm and a weekly rhythm and even a yearly rhythm. Sit here long enough and you’ll become part of it.

On the far side of the expanse of flat green grass that fills the Square, a row of London plane trees provides a lacy edge to the sky, whilst in the rain their patterned trunks stand out proudly. In between at head height, way-farer palms trees look oddly out of place in a rain soaked London.

On the grass seagulls stab for food – maybe worms brought up by the rain. Picking up on yesterday’s thoughts, I greet Brother Seagull with a silent “Good morning”. His reply comes back, “Awk….awk…awk!”

The gulls are joined by a pair of Egyptian geese, their feathers glossy in the rain-washed light. “Good morning Mr and Mrs Goose!” Egyptian geese are known for their fidelity.

There are few tourists this morning. Sight seeing is a fair weather pursuit and only a few resilient Japanese walk past following their tour guide.

The rain which has blown both heavier and lighter, dwindles and fades away. Faint patches of blue appear in the sky and ten flags unwrap themselves from their flagpoles.

Wetter weather may well be a consequence of increasing temperatures: warmer air can hold more water. Adapting to wetter winters and drier summers is something we will have to embrace.

A pavement cleaner stops to talk. He’s seen our signs and is from personal experience deeply aware of the effects of the climate crisis and equally convinced that it is unlikely we will make changes to turn the situation around. He is 73 and comes from Bangladesh. Rivers that used to teem with fish – the key part of their diet and a source of income – are lifeless, the waters polluted with pollution from factories and cities. Children can no longer swim there – nor too do the dolphins. He despairs that it will never change – yet he tells us that whilst simply to pray will not achieve anything, to pray and act is a different matter altogether. And he prays all day – and as to working, his name, Abdullah, means slave of Allah. He left us feeling greatly uplifted. Somehow despite the odds, he radiated hope.

Day three of the No Faith in Fossil Fuel’s Vigil

These are my experiences from 7.00 till about noon. Later in the day I know more and exciting things happened!

Walking over Westminster Bridge as Big Ben struck 7 a new day began. In front of the Carriage Gates three vigillers beamed as Sandie and I arrived. Peter and Anne were already folding up their bivvy bags whilst Ben was still snuggled down inside his sleeping bag. Greetings and a few photos and then it was goodbye as Sandie and I settled down behind the climate justice banner.

I pray of God’s holiness and the holiness of every created thing.

Watching the traffic, at 7 in the morning it’s mainly commercial vehicles – plus the ever-circulating buses – and specifically ones serving the construction industry. As the morning passes so the number of cars increases which is not to say that the construction vehicles were any less. Basically the road just gets busier! One was a cement lorry making a delivery to the works going on at Parliament, which claimed to be carrying eco-cement. Cement -which produces 622kg of CO2 per tonnes – accounts for about 7% of global total emissions. It maybe that as well as green cement we need to think twice about building new roads, tower blocks or even just drive ways.

I pray for God’s will, God’s rule – that God’s way of doing things would prevail in our hearts and minds.

During the morning others joined the vigil – a merry band of pilgrims! One had come only a short way – he worked for the Methodist Church. We talked about money. It seems more obvious to swop your pension to an ethical one because pensions obviously deal in investments. But greening your bank seems – initially – less obvious. They just look after your money, nothing more? I talked about CCA’s campaign to encourage charities and dioceses to move away from Barclays. He talked about working with the local circuits to discuss ethical banking.

I pray that God’s kingdom would come with its transformative ordering of the world. I pray for daily bread – how come we live in a world with food that goes to waste whilst many go hungry?

A mum from Birmingham had extended her visit to her son in London to be able to come. A woman from a UR Church in south east London joined the group. Then a group from a church in Sutton. And a then a fellow Franciscan tertiary. At one point we were accosted by a man asking why we were praying. He thought we should raising money for the scientists in white coats rather than praying to ‘a fairy in the sky’.

We knelt our ground.

The footfall, like the traffic changes through the day. Initially it is people going to work, streaming out of the underground and striding out down towards Millbank, coffee cups and lunch bags grasped in their hands. There is a slight lull before the tourists dominate the pavement – and large groups of teenage students being shown the Houses of Parliament and more frequently the companions from my night shift – Mandela, Gandhi and Millicent Fawcett.

There are more families than usual as it is still half term and several children carefully read our posters and ask their parents what we are doing. One young man spends several minutes filming and then interviewing us – he wants to understand more about the climate crisis.

I pray for forgiveness and healing.

Ten or so small toddlers walk by, each wearing Wellington boots and a small high viz vest and a wrist strap linking them to their respective nursery carer. Like puppies they don’t walk in a straight line and ver off wherever the fancy takes them. I think they’re going to the gardens between Parliament and Lambeth Bridge. Emmeline Pankhurst stands inside the gateway keeping an eye on all who come and go.

Faithfulness is why we’re here.

Day one/ two of the Lenten No faith in fossil Fuels vigil

15th February 2024

I took the night shift – we were a cheerful group of a half dozen. Melanie had emphasised the need for lots of layers to counter the cold so I had a sleeping bag inside a bivvy bag with a poncho on top to keep out the rain and my ski suit underneath. It was an unseasonably mild night so I was super super warm and had to remove hat and gloves to allow for some cooling!
I took the night shift – we were a cheerful group of a half dozen. Melanie had emphasised the need for lots of layers to counter the cold so I had a sleeping bag inside a bivvy bag with a poncho on top to keep out the rain and my ski suit underneath. It was an unseasonably mild night so I was super super warm and had to remove hat and gloves to allow for some cooling!

Parliament Square in the late evening feels very different from early morning or midday. The traffic swings round faster headlights catching on the buildings. The pedestrians are night owls and theatre goers – they can saunter by as they have the full width of the pavement to themselves.

Traffic in and out of Parliament is still controlled by the police but the bobbies on the beat are replaced by teams of four armed police – rifles nonchalantly slung on their backs.

Across the square Nelson Mandela, Gandhi and Millicent Fawcett are more visible in the street light than their loftier companions mounted on much higher pedestals. They stand patiently but what was must be their desire to move and walk the streets again? What would they say to us? How would they encourage us to act?

Around midnight the view of sky became obscure and the rain came – not heavy but wet! With my overlarge poncho drooping over my face much of the light and certainly the view is cut out and my tired eyes close and open. Come on, I think, I’m meant to be praying! I squint across the Square at our vigilant companions – how long did they spend restricted by prison life, or pressing on against the odds with what might have seemed an unwinable cause? They strengthen my resolve.

I am feeling very tired, my stomach is rumbling and my legs feel stiff: I’m not sure I can do this. What if I bail out and go home? There are plenty of taxis circling the Square – but I have forgotten to bring a house key; I’d have to wake someone up.

I let my eyes close and doze.

Maybe I have actually been sleeping. Certainly I’m now feeling brighter. A couple walk over Westminster Bridge to make use of the toilets and the 24 hour Costa at St Thomas’s. The rain has eased and I am nice and warm inside my multiple layers. Someone shares some dates – nature’s toffees! This is beginning to feel manageable.

I watch the buses loop round on their various routes. Double decker buses are an amazing invention! Nippy despite their size, they provide bright warm transport for dozens of people – so much more efficient than those low slung, gas guzzling cars.

I’ve slept some more and wake to hear Big Ben striking. Its quarter hourly time check is a comfort. I forget to count and now I’m not sure if it’s 4am or 6 am. The sky looks lighter and I can hear birds singing.

It’s 4am. A digestive biscuit fills a gap. Our companions across the Square encourage my focus, whilst on either side of me, Sandie and Annette are gently singing hymns and Taizé chants.

Another shift of armed police set out. The night buses are still looping past, bright light shining out so their windows like mobile Advent calendars. Not so many passengers but already people are on their way to work. The first staff are going into Parliament behind us – cleaners and ancillary workers I guess. Someone has raised the flag on the Supreme Court. As the next hour passes the double deckers fill with people on early morning shifts. A resilient few are cycling past at great speed – or maybe they’re the fun loving one’s taking advantage of the clear roads. I hope they are paid well for their unsocial hours but I suspect not.

Soon it’s 6.30am. The dawn has crept up on us and the light is daylight bright. The traffic is picking up its day time pace.

7.00am and here comes Alison who will be taking the next shift. And – of wonderous joy – here comes my husband! He’s got up early to join us for breakfast at Gail’s!

I could do this again.

Green Tau extra

13th February 2024

Today is Shrove Tuesday – this is a piece I wrote last year: https://greentau.org/2023/02/21/green-tau-issue-64/

and the follow on piece for Ash Wednesday: https://greentau.org/2023/02/22/green-tau-issue-64b/

in which I wrote “Maybe our penance – the penance for those who see the harm we have as humans have caused – is raise the cry, to sound the alarm, to be prophetic, so that others too can be called to account.”

This year Christian Climate Action, and other faith based and ecological groups, have organised a ten day – and night – vigil outside Parliament. Hour by hour, people will sit, stand or kneel, in prayer and reflection for the well being of the earth, for justice, for the preservation of life in all its forms, for human repentance for the harm we have done in driving both the 6th mass extinction of species and the acceleration climate crisis. If you are in the area, do come and join in; if not do nevertheless keep this focus as part of your Lenten discipline.

Join the No Faith in Fossil Fuels Lent Vigil