Today is Earth Day!
22nd April is Earth Day. I shall be leading a prayer walk to mark this, setting out from St James’s Church Piccadilly at noon. We shall be using these prayers – if you plan to come, you might print of a set using this link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ISH4g3rZoU1Ya6AqrT5f4nXPHB3hbQ9M/view?usp=drivesdk
– but feel free to use them even if you are not coming in person.
If you want to print a placard to bring follow this link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1igXP5i7pAFtrzkz17q0jJ5DkMI3spd02/view?usp=drivesdk
Route – https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2563016
Start at St James’s Church
The Church
Christians and the church have a God-given role in caring for and working with the environment.
Genesis 2:5 “The Lord God took and put the human in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.”
This mandate is included in the Church of England’s five marks of mission – the fifth mark: “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth”.
Pope Francis has written extensively about the importance of care for creation in his encyclicals Laudate Si and Laudate Deum.
As Christians there are times when we have failed to live up to this calling and need to repent. And there are times when we have been able to celebrate the wonders of creation, acknowledging that we are brothers and sisters sharing in common with all parts of the created world.
Prayer of Pope Francis from Laudate Si:
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognise that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.
1 Vine Street
The Plastic Industry
We are outside the UK offices of LyondellBasell. This company is the largest licensor of polyethylene and polypropylene technologies. It also produces ethylene, propylene, polyolefins, and oxyfuels, in large refineries and chemical plants in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Texas, India and China.
Plastics have played an important role in improving life for many – clean water, medical aid, waterproofs – but now plays an even bigger role in polluting the earth: microplastics have now been found in on Mount Everest, in fish that live in deep ocean trenches, frozen in the Arctic ice and in human blood. Its resistance to decay means plastics will hang around in the environment causing pollution for centuries to come.
But who is to blame? Who should be held responsible for rectifying the problem? The manufacturers? The companies who use plastic for their products and packaging? The consumers who buy the products?
Prayer
God, the creator of heaven and earth,
You have given us the gift of inventiveness.
We created plastics with good intentions
but failed to recognise the harm and damage they cause.
Give us the will and the determination to make good the damage we have caused,
To recycle and remove plastics from the environment.
Inspire us to create better, safer alternatives.
We pray for the successful introduction of the Global Plastics Treaty.
Gracious God, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Regent Street
Consumerism
Regent Street has been a prime shopping street since 1825 and attracts many shoppers from all parts of the UK and across the world. Retail turnover in the West End totalled £8 billion in 2022 and is expected to top £10 billion by 2025.
But consumerism drives the consumption of the world’s limited resources at the expense of the poor and at the expense of the environment. The more we shop the greater our carbon footprint and often the greater our contribution to landfill. The richest one percent of the world’s population are responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution as the 3.1 billion people who made up the poorest half. The top 1% have carbon footprints that exceed 50 tonnes per person when the average is 4.7 tonnes.
As consumers we may be willing or unwilling victims of the power of advertising. We can get sucked into a system that encourages us to buy more and more and not worry about the impact on the environment. Our current rate of consumption is now such that we need 1.7 earths to sustain our lifestyle.
Prayer
God, creator of heaven and earth,
You have given us a world full of resources
with which to fulfil our needs,
yet we are avaricious and always demand more.
We ignore the damage we are causing the earth
with our greed,
and we ignore the poverty we inflict on our fellow brethren
through taking way more than our fair share,
and we ignore the harm we cause to ourselves
as we constantly seek to outdo our neighbour.
Gracious God, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
1 Eagle Place
The Arms Industry
Here we are outside the UK headquarters of Leonardo which designs, develops and manufactures weapons, armaments and helicopters – both commercial and military. It contributes £1.9 billion to the UK’s GDP, and 45% of its sales are made to customers within the UK.
Global spending on arms rose by 9% to a record $2.2tn during 2023. Often referred to as defence equipment, the growth in arms has not brought an end to war and conflict in the world. Wars do not reconcile the injustices that lead to conflict, nor do they build peace.
Instead armed conflict kills and maims people, destroys homes, infrastructure and communities. It pollutes the soil, the air, and water systems, destroys crops, and wrecks ecosystems.
Prayer from the Community of Nails
Litany of Reconciliation
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,
Father forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,
Father, forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,
Father, forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,
Father, forgive.
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,
Father, forgive.
The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,
Father, forgive.
The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,
Father, forgive.
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Amen.
1 St James Square
The Fossil Fuel Industry
BP is the eighth largest oil company globally, base on revenue but faces conflict with shareholders because it has – more than other fossil fuel companies – also invested in green energy such as solar, wind and biofuels, against the time when demand for oil falls. Such ventures are expensive and do not as yet, bring in the same returns as the highly profitable returns on oil and gas. Nevertheless BP’s annual profits more than doubled to £23bn in 2022 after a sharp increase in gas prices linked to the Ukraine war. Even so, with a new CEO, BP is drawing back on green energy and expanding once its fossil fuel ventures.
Fossil fuel companies bear a heavy responsibility for the escalating climate crisis and the damage it is causing to all earth systems. Fossil fuels are – and have been for been for the last 100 plus years, the main source of CO2 emissions. In 2023 this industry produced 35 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide raising the concentration in the earth atmosphere to a high of 420 ppm (NB this is still rising). Their failure to curb output and to instead transition at speed and with fairness to renewable energy is surely criminal. Their role in hiding the truth about carbon emissions and their misuse of their power to persuade governments not to act against the expansion of their industry, is surely criminal.
Creator God,
source of power and might,
you gave us the sun and the wind,
the tides and seasons:
we have ample means to generate energy
without damaging the earth.
Change the hearts and minds
of those trapped in the outdated fossil fuel world,
to recognise the harm that has been caused
and to embrace the change that is possible.
Give them courage to take the lead,
to place the common good above profits.
Gracious God,
In your mercy hear our prayer.
6 St James’ Square
The Mining and Extractive Industries.
Rio Tinto is the second biggest mining and minerals corporation with projects in all parts of the world, producing iron ore, aluminium, copper, diamonds, lithium, and industrial minerals such as borates, titanium dioxide and salt. Its ethical and environmental standards have frequently been called into question at sites in Canada, Western Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Guinea, provoking objections from governments, environmentalists and academics.
Mining and other extractive industries denude the earth of valuable resources that cannot be replaced – we can only hope that these resources are being retained and recycled for generations to come. In 2019 3.2 billion tonnes of minerals and ore were mined, of which 94% were iron ore. Australia has the largest reserves of iron ore – 58 billion tonnes.
Methods of production often cause widespread damage to both the environment and to wellbeing of their workers and of nearby communities – as companies seek to maximise profits. The failure of companies to repair the damage they have caused, only adds to the misery they cause.
But we too as consumers must be aware of our own complicity. We have become to used to consuming things without questioning where or how they were produced, or how the raw materials were extracted, nor how – if at all – the product can be recycled at the end of its life.
Creator God,
you have given us a world full
of raw materials
with which we can make and grow
the things we need.
Too easily we are overcome
by apparent abundance,
that we do not safeguard
people and places, habitats and landscapes.
Release from the grips of profit seeking and greed.
Teach us the ways of sufficiency and conservation,
that we may live simply so that all may simply live.
Gracious God,
In your mercy hear our prayer.
181 Piccadilly
The Food Industry
Fortnum and Mason was established as a grocery store in 1707. Although it has since expanded into a department store, its food hall is still its most renowned feature, with a reputation for supplying high end speciality items. In 2010 it was targeted by the animal right group PETA UK for its sale of foie gras – the production of which involves considerable animal cruelty. In 2020, Fortnum and Mason replace foie gras with foie royals which is said to be more ethical.
The farming of land and animals, the production of food and its dietary quality, the distribution and availability of food are all crucial to the way in which the earth is cared for and its populations fed. In the name of profits, it is sadly all to easy for large corporations to ignore or overlook the damage their industry is causing the world. Deforestation, mono cultures and soil depletion are all endangering the ability of the earth to provide food for future generations.
We too as consumers have a responsibility to consider the impact of what we eat. If we are both to reduce carbon emissions to a safe level and ensure that enough food is produced to feed everyone, we need to reduce our consumption of meat and dairy produce. Livestock farming takes up nearly 80% of global agricultural land, yet produces less than 20% of the world’s supply of calories, and accounts for about 14% of global emissions.
Creator God,
who made both animals and humans
to tend and nourish the earth,
we repent for the times
we have mistreated our creaturely brethren,
for the times we have despoiled the soil,
and for the times we have not shared
the earth’s bountiful harvest fairly.
Help us once again to re-establish
honourable relationships with all creatures,
to nurture the soil with understanding
and to ensure that all receive their daily bread.
Gracious God,
In your mercy hear our prayer.
Return to St James’s Piccadilly
Our final prayer comes from an ancient holy person called Brendanus Scotus
Come Lord Christ, king of the earth,
lead us as we walk with you
that the earth may be healed.
Come, Holy Spirit hovering over the water
and guide us as we sail to you,
that the waters may flow with life.
Come, you angels of the fire and light
and show us how to dance with you,
that in the light may be born
the flame of love.
Come, you breath of the air,
and inspire us with the breath of you,
that the air may reverberate with
the sound of the word.
Come, Lady Mary and the saints of heaven
and help us to pray with you,
that the earth may be redeemed through
the love of Christ. Amen.
The Green Tau 