Category: Uncategorized

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.”  

Windows of Opportunity 

2nd December 2023

Tax Frequent Flyers

“A small minority of frequent flyers dominate air travel in almost all countries with high aviation emissions, analysis suggests. In the UK, 70% of flights are made by a wealthy 15% of the population, with 57% not flying abroad at all.

There are calls for a frequent flyer levy – a tax that increases the more you fly each year. Greenpeace supports the tax and also wants air miles banned because they say it encourages frequent flying.

The UK government said it is reviewing aviation taxes, but insisted that a frequent flier levy would have many problems.

The campaigners believe frequent flyer levies would be broadly popular because they disproportionately affect the rich, who fly the most.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56582094 

In the meantime anyone can sign the Flight Free Pledge – https://flightfree.co.uk/

Windows of Opportunity 

1st December 2023

Ban SUVs 

“Unless you live in the snow, desert, or on a farm, you don’t need a two ton tank. Urban SUVS accelerate climate change, are a danger to cyclists & pedestrians and increase traffic congestion, as well as being conspicuous consumption”. (1)

“The majority of British motorists want an outright ban on highly polluting vehicles, such as 4x4s and SUVs, to stop them from entering well-populated areas like town and city centres. According to a survey of 1,000 UK drivers, 59 percent said they would support a ban on larger vehicles like 4x4s, SUVs and other large vehicles. A further 39 percent would support the mandatory introduction of Clean Air Zones in every town and city in the UK, as has been seen in the likes of Bath and Birmingham.”(2)

“By the early part of this year more than half of all new car sales in Europe were SUVs or SUV-styled cars. Between 2001 and 2022, in an outbreak of ongoing auto-obesity, the average kerb weight of cars sold in Europe increased by 21%. The International Energy Agency has said that annual CO2 emissions from the world’s 330m SUVs reached almost 1bn tonnes last year. According to the government, the transport sector is the biggest source of CO2 emissions in the UK (accounting for 34% of the total), with the “large majority” coming from road transport.” (3)

(1) https://bansuvs.org/

(2) https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1700962/drivers-support-suv-4×4-ban-clean-air-zones-just-stop-oil

(3) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/nov/05/monsters-of-the-road-what-should-the-uk-do-about-suvs

Counting on … day 1.227

30th November 2023

Today is the start of COP28. This is the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference. Held annually, this gathering of various parties (governments and others) is tasked with agreeing policies to limit the rise of  global temperatures, and to help countries adapt to the climate change that is already happening.

You can sign up for their daily newsletter  – ‘Top of the COP’ 

You can join in daily prayers by zoom with Green  Christian – https://greenchristian.org.uk/prayer-for-cop28/

I also recommend this link for daily prayers and reflections –

https://sites.google.com/view/praying-for-cop28/home

Counting on … day 1.226

29th November 2023

Recently I was chatting with a friend about the number of items which have since our youth become single use items (this is not to say I am either old nor that everything was so much better in the good old days!). But things like wet wipes did not exist – instead there would be a cloth or maybe even a damp flannel in plastic bag for a journey. A kitchen towel meant a hand towel: washable dish clothes and floor clothes were for wiping up spills. Hankies were cotton and washable and came with embroidered designs or printed patterns. And I even remember from my honeymoon having a paper envelope with my room number, in which I placed my cotton serviette at the end of the meal so that I could use it again at the next meal. 

Surely laundering is better than creating waste that is either burnt or ends up in landfill?

Counting on … day 1.225

28th November 2023

Last week in response to the news that Lidl was renting out Christmas jumpers,  the Guardian noted that “The environmental charity Hubbub reported in 2019 that 12m jumpers were forecast to be bought that year, despite 65m already languishing in UK wardrobes. The novelty jumpers are, the charity said, one of the worst examples of fast fashion, now recognised as hugely damaging to the environment.” (1)

Hubbub’s website lists various ways of avoiding this waste – https://hubbub.org.uk/cheap-sustainable-christmas-jumper-ideas

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/nov/23/lidl-christmas-jumper-loan-scheme-nspcc?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 1.224

27th November 2023

As responsible consumers, we may want to think not just about what we are buying but about the packaging too. Most packaging in single use – the plastic container, the cardboard box, the plastic wrap, the paper cup. Sometimes it is essential if we are to be able to take the product home, but more often it is a decorative feature that makes the product more attractive. And giving pleasure is not a bad thing. But maybe there are times when we should be saying ‘no thank you’ when something has an excess  of packaging. Or times when we should be writing to the manufacturer asking for less packaging or at least packaging that can – and will be – recycled. Or times when we should look for a refill option using reusable packaging. 

I often feel it is a pity that cardboard boxes can’t be reused more often before they are recycled: they are often so strong and sturdy and there must be a a carbon footprint involved in recycling them. 

Are Cardboard Boxes Eco-friendly?