Tag: ecosystem

Prayers for the ecosystems of Asia

21st March 2026

Happy are those  who do not follow the advice of the wicked. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season,  their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. Ps 1:1a,3

You Lord, are the source of all good things: 

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation: 

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives: 

May we live together in peace.

A Reading – Psalm 95: 1-5

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.

The sea is his, for he made it,
    and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

Each week during Lent these prayers focus on a different continent; this week Asia. 

Asia (the eastern half of the Eurasian supercontinent) is the largest of the world’s continents, covering approximately 30 percent of the Earth’s land area. It is also the world’s most populous continent, with roughly 60 percent of the total population. It comprises five major physical regions: mountain systems; plateaus; plains, steppes, and deserts; freshwater environments; and saltwater environments. The Himalayas are so vast that they are composed of three different mountain belts. The northernmost belt, known as the Great Himalayas, has the highest average elevation and includes Mount Everest, which stands at 8,849m. The glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau contain the largest volume of ice outside the poles and feed Asia’s largest rivers. Approximately 2 billion people depend on the rivers. Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world, containing 20 percent of the world’s unfrozen freshwater. It is also the world’s oldest lake, at 25 million years old.  https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/asia/

Glory to God 

Creator of mountains and glaciers:

We praise you for the awe and wonder of these regions, 

their reminder that we are but humans.

We thank you for the life giving water they provide for peoples far below.

Glory to God

Creator of rivers and wetlands:

We praise you for the Tigris and the Euphrates, 

for the Fertile Crescent and the roots of human civilisation.

We praise you for the  Ganges and Brahamaputra rivers, 

and for the biodiversity of the Sundarban wetland with its huge mangrove forest. 

Glory to God, 

Creator of Steppes and deserts:

We praise you the ingenuity of animals and peoples, adapting to the extremes of climate.

We praise you for yaks and bactrian camels and for livelihoods sustained by trade.

Glory to God, 

Creator of flora and fauna:

We praise you for rich diversity of flora, for the many fruit trees – oranges and peaches –

and the beautiful flowers of China – roses and camellias, peonies and hibiscus. 

We praise you for  the wildlife of the Sundarban wetlands  – birds and  monkeys, monitor lizards and Bengal tigers. 

Merciful God,

Creator of human kind, 

Forgive our greed that destroys ancient forests in favour of logging for timber and wood pulp. 

Forgive our greed that destroys biodiverse rain forests in favour of oil palm plantations.

Merciful God,

Creator of our brothers and sisters:

Forgive the casualness with which we ignore their plight when faced with war and oppression, 

their poverty  when corporate greed takes away their livelihoods 

and their hunger when climate change decimates their crops.

Merciful God, 

Creator of climates and seasons,

Forgive our foolishness that creates both drought and flood.

Forgive our foolishness that destroys mangroves that protect shorelines 

and the forests that stabilise soils and lock in carbon

Guiding God,

Source  of all wisdom, 

Transform our hearts and minds, turn the direction of our hands and feet 

so that with alacrity and commitment we will reform our lives 

and live only in harmony with your creation. 

Amen.

The Grace

Counting on … day 91

23rd April 2024

Bio capacity is a measure of the ability of an ecosystem to support human life (a somewhat biased use of the term bio meaning life!) It measures the amount of food, fuel, water etc that the area of land can produce to support human life and the amount of waste  – sewage, pollution etc – that it can safely absorb. 

It reflects the regenerative capacity of ecosystem – how quickly, and by how much, can renewable resources be replaced. How quickly can crops be harvested and regrown to provide food? How quickly can trees be felled and regrown to provide timber? How quickly can fish stocks be replenished after the fish have been caught and eaten? How quickly can sewage be treated and returned into the system as drinking water? How much pollution can the air absorb before it becomes harmful to human life?

Bio capacity is measured in global hectares (gha) – ie land area per person. The global hectare is a land area that averages out land across the globe taking into account land that is more productive and land that is less productive. It measures how many hectares are needed to support one person.

Counting on …day 

22nd April 2024

Today is Earth Day. The first Earth Day was celebrated in the USA in 1970. It is now an international day of celebration (always 2nd April) calling on people to protect the planet. 

Do we understand and value the importance of the earth to our continued life and wellbeing? 

For example do we care about the health of the soil? A healthy soil has:- 

1. Good structure: A healthy soil has a crumbly texture with a good balance of air, water, and pore space. This allows water, nutrients, air, plant roots and microorganisms to move through it.

2. Nutrient content: A healthy soil contains the right balance of nutrients essential for plant growth. These can include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

3. Organic matter: Decaying plant and animal material improves soil structure, water retention and nutrient cycling.

4. Good soil pH: A pH range between 6.0 to 7.5 is ideal for plant growth.

5. Active soil microbiology: A healthy soil contains a diverse range of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. All of which play important roles in nutrient cycling, soil structure and plant health.

6. Low levels of soil compaction: A compacted soil can restrict root growth and reduce water infiltration.

7. Low levels of soil erosion: A healthy soil is not easily eroded by wind or water, which can lead to loss of topsoil and nutrients.

8. Good water-holding capacity: A healthy soil can hold water, preventing it from running off the surface or being lost through deep percolation. (https://insight.study.csu.edu.au/healthy-soil/)

If we use our farm soils in such a way that it diminishes or destroys these attributes, then we will not be able to grow enough food to feed ourselves. Further we will find that we have also diminished or destroyed local ecosystems leading to a reduction in biodiversity – ie of wild plants, birds, animals and insects. And that will have a knock on effect increasing risks of flooding, of accelerating climate change, and – particularly with the loss of pollinators- further risks to food security.

Earth Day reminds us that we must live in harmony with the earth and its natural systems.

See also – https://greentau.org/2024/04/01/prayer-walk-for-earth-day/

Counting on … day 1.165

5th September 2023

Trees and forested areas are, we know, good for the environment. They cool the air, store carbon, absorb water before later releasing it. They support a diversity of plant and animal life. They protect and enrich soils. And they improve our physical health and mental well being.

Sadly tree overage in the UK is only 13% – compared with 38% across Europe and 31% world wide. 

Planting and looking after new trees and maintaining and protecting existing trees is surely common sense! And where trees are cultivated for use, including felling, that needs to be carried out in a way that protects and nurtures the ecosystem just as one should with a herd or flock of animals.

https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/forestry-statistics-2018/international-forestry-3/forest-cover-international-comparisons/

Counting on …day 290

26th August 2022 

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/act/protect-the-oceans/

“The ocean is the largest ecosystem on Earth, and it is the planet’s life support system” – Marine Conservation Institute. It too is under threat from overuse and misuse by human activity. Current negotiations s at the UN are trying to agree a treaty that would protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 – although it looks as if financial interests in making further profits from the oceans will water down any agreement. 

According to UNESCO, plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution and around 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year – and in the last 10 years we have produced more plastic than in the last century! Cutting back on the plastic we use, and ideally aiming for zero plastic, we can be part of the solution. 

Eco Tips – Zero Waste 

https://greentau.org/tag/plastic-free/

 Counting on … day 122

14th March 2022

Another sign of spring: we have two clumps of frogspawn in the pond. Despite large number of eggs laid, few will make it to adulthood. Most will be an essential part of the food chain – including the dragonfly larvae which currently live in the murky depths of the pond but who will in the summer make their dazzling transformation to dragon flies. I wonder if we fully understand the role of life and death in the cycle of the ecosystem.