Tag: Restraint

In times of drought 

22nd August 2026

I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Leviticus 26:19

You Lord, our the source of all wisdom:

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 from Haggai 1:5-6, 9b-11

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’

‘Why?’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.  Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labour of your hands.’

Patient God, 

have mercy on us for our foolishness.

We ignored the rising temperatures 

and the extreme weather events,

thinking it would not affect us.

We did not heed the warning signs:

we lived as if there would always be more water, 

as if we could have enough water to wash our cars and patios, 

grow crops and fodder, feed cattle and cool data centres.

Patient God, 

have mercy on us for our pride, 

our desire for greater riches, 

our confidence that economic growth was the only way.

We were sure we were in control: 

that we could buy fast fashion and disregard its ecological footprint, 

that we could eat meat and not consider where cattle food came from, 

that we could enjoy lives of luxury without being mindful of the poor.

Patient God, 

have mercy on us for our arrogance, 

our certainty that we had all the answers, 

that nature would always be at our beck and call.

The future was ours and we were kings: 

we could extract more and more from the planet – and not give back, 

we had the technology that would provide all the answers, 

we had no need for restraint!

God of recreation, 

renew your spirit within us.

May we learn from your wisdom ways of caring for the land, 

ways to conserve precious water, 

and ways to live joyfully within limits of the planet. 

God of restoration, 

renew your spirit within us.

May we find true happiness that comes from joy not financial gain, 

that comes from discerning the true value of all we consume, 

and that seeks fulfilment in the wellbeing of others.

God of reformation, 

renew within us your spirit. 

May we respect the gifts of nature, 

learning to give a well as take, 

and returning to a life lived within the natural environment. 

Amen. 

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;

I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44:3 3 

Proper 13, 9th Sunday after Trinity 

2nd August 2026

Reflection with readings below

It is God’s desire to feed and meet the needs of all that lives. That is the recurring message of the prophets and the gospels. It seems so obvious and logical that God, having created such a diversity of life – plants, creatures, humans – would wish to ensure that they all were fed, cared for and nourished. It is certainly true that parents desire the best for their children, that gardeners aim to create the best environment for their plants, that pet owners seek the best for their cats, dogs, goldfish etc.

Why then do governments not do the same for their citizens? Here in the UK and across the world we see many going un- or underfed. We see people inadequately houses, afforded insufficient health care and mediocre education. We see people ill-provided with access to green spaces and recreational facilities. We see people who are marginalised because of inadequate public transport. We even see bus and train drivers lacking access to toilet facilities!!

And yet at the same time we see governments supporting the rich, whether they are individuals or corporations. We see governments creating rules and sustaining systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice. We see governments watching, with complacency, the rich consuming at the expense of the poor, manipulating systems to meet their needs, and polluting the environment with no comeback.

The gospel message, and therefore the Christian calling, is to challenge systems and traditions, governments and vested interests, that fail to care for everyone – including every living thing – fairly. We should be challenging the assumption that the markets will ensure fair play and a fair distribution of resources to meet needs. We should be challenging the focus on profits, on unending growth, on the diversion of resources into the control of a minority. 

This week Shell revealed that their profits for the last quarter have more than doubled to £10billion for the second quarter. Wael Sawan, the CEO, cannot be unaware of the crises facing so many people. Indeed he commented “These are difficult times, undoubtedly, and I think the government, from everything we pick up publicly, is trying to do what it can to be able to support. And [the] UK is our headquarters, is our home, and we will offer any support that we can to the government as they try to navigate these difficult waters” BUT at the same time urging for greater support for drilling in the North Sea – an activity that only fuels extreme temperatures and wildfires – and doing everything to avoid further taxation of their profits.

God has created an amazing world with the capacity to feed and sustain all its inhabitants – but only if we don’t abuse the various ecosystems and seek only our own wellbeing. In today’s gospel we often highlight the amazing generosity that means everyone is fed, but do not so readily focus on the fact that no one is greedy, no one tries to hang onto the excess for their own profit. In the parallel story in Exodus, the generous gift of mana comes with the warning that the people should only gather what they need for that day; greed is punished by mould and maggots. We need take only what we need and only what is sustainable. We need to normalise a culture that expects resources to be shared and used according to need and not gain or greed. 

Last Thursday was Earth Overshoot Day, the day on which we have collectively consumed a whole year’s worth of the Earth’s renewable good and services. We cannot go on burning oil and gas and expecting the Earth to absorb the excess. We cannot go on extracting more and more water from rivers and aquifers and expect them to refill at a faster and faster rate. We cannot going on eating meat whilst expect nature to squeeze into an ever smaller margin of the land. We cannot throw away more and more plastic and expect the oceans to simply absorb the waste. We cannot continue to indulge our consumerist society and expect the poor and vulnerable to simply cope better on less and less. A good life is not measured by how much you earn or how much you spend, but by how you love your neighbour.

Loving our neighbour is not always about baking them a cake or paying their medical bills. More often it is about us changing our lifestyle so that we don’t damage their chance of a healthy, happy life. Loving our neighbour is very much about reducing not just our carbon footprint but our environmental footprint. Loving our neighbour is about flying less, about switching from a gas boiler to a heat pump, about opting for active travel, eating substantially less meat and dairy, making things last rather than frequently upgrading and replacing. Loving our neighbour is also about pressing for system change whether by our local authority – to plant more trees, retrofit homes, improve public transport and cycling infrastructure. Whether by our government  – to phase out fossil fuels, invest in grid infrastructure, mandate prioritisation of nature, promote uptake of and access to healthier diets. Whether by businesses and institutions – do they know what you, the consumer, actually wants as opposed to what they want you to want?

Loving our neighbour – and showing our love for God – is about living within the sustainable limits of the world’s ecosystems, and ensuring a just sharing of and access to resources. Looking again at today’s story of the feeding of the five thousand, we see how team work and cooperation are key in the success of the event.

Isaiah 55:1-5

Thus says the Lord:

“Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters; 

and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat! 

Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy? 

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food. 

Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live. 

I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David. 

See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples. 

See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you, 

because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.” 

Psalm 145: 8-9, 15-22

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.

15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.

16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, *
and you give them their food in due season.

17 You open wide your hand *
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways *
and loving in all his works.

19 The Lord is near to those who call upon him, *
to all who call upon him faithfully.

20 He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; *
he hears their cry and helps them.

21 The Lord preserves all those who love him, *
but he destroys all the wicked.

22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; *
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.

Romans 9:1-5

I am speaking the truth in Christ– I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit– I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Matthew 14:13-21

Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Counting on 2026 …. Day 77

10th July 

This may not be so readily quantifiable, but there is, I believe, ‘joy in enough’. The consumerist model that urges us to buy more, to buy bigger, and to buy more frequently does not per se makes us happy. Indeed it may cause us stress as it :

  • constantly challenges to keep up with the market ideals; 
  • fills our homes with things we must store, guard, insure etc. 
  • consumes time and many 
  • diminishes our confidence as independent beings.

Without these stresses, we can be happier, we can have more free time to spend with family and friends or out in nature, we can find pleasure in making things for ourselves, and very simply we can more readily enjoy what we already have.

‘Joy in Enough’ is the name of one of Green Christian’s projects. You can find out more here – https://youtu.be/dXX9b-8j0fE?si=8e29R7zjaH6QcUk-

Or – https://greenchristian.org.uk/introduction/action/joy-in-enough/

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethicalcampaigns/corporate-equity-fines?utm_source=ECRA+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=6c5404e75b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_05_08-equity-fines-subs&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-52b9476e4c-320424697

Green Tau: issue 127

9th July 2026

Joining the Dots

As a child you may have done dot-to-dot puzzles. Joining together the dots in the page – in the order in which they are numbered – would reveal a picture that wasn’t obvious before.

In a world which is increasingly complicated there are just so many dots that it seems as if we can’t see the bigger picture. Joining the dots is not always straight forward as, unlike the dot-to-dot puzzles, they are not numbered. Sometimes a bit of thought and bit of reading, is sufficient to see which dots join together.

Climate Change

For example, looking at a chart showing temperature increases over the last two centuries and comparing it with a chart showing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, it is easy to join the dots and see the connection: as carbon emissions have increased so have temperatures. A little more probing and we can see the dots that tell us that it is human activity that has caused the increase in carbon emissions, principally through the burning of fossil fuels.

It may take a little more reflection and research to see that the increase in the burning of fossil fuels is linked with each of the following –

  • an increased number of diesel and petrol vehicles on the roads,
  • an increased number of air flights
  • an increased number of coal and gas power stations – and that linked to n increased demand for electricity 
  • an increased demand for plastics and other products based on fossil fuels.

Our human lifestyle is linked via fossil fuels to climate change.

Water Shortages

Water shortages become more acute during periods and dry weather. And yes, those weather conditions and more especially changes in climate, do contribute to water shortages. But with a bit of reflection, we may find other factors at play.

  • As more people move into drier regions (eg into the south east of England) local resources will struggle to meet demand.
  • Whilst showers use less water than baths, more frequent showers and the the use of power showers, will increase demand for water. Ditto power hoses. Ditto washing machines too use substantial amounts of water – may be as much as half our daily average consumption. 
  • Agriculture is a substantial consumer of water especially rearing livestock – including the water needed to grow animal feed. 
  • Clothing manufacture including the growing of cotton in particular the dying of fabrics, is water intensive. The more clothes we buy, the greater the stress we place on water reserves.
  • Data centre use large amounts of water to cool the equipment. We don’t always think to join the dots between our use of data – streaming, online games, storing data (much of it superfluous to use), use of Siri and other AI ‘helpers’, emailing etc – and the need for data centres and the knock on effect on water (and energy) supplies.

Our lifestyle choices can seriously impact other parts of our lives.

Animal welfare

In Britain we often pride ourselves on our love for animals. We also love our traditional meals – bacon and eggs, roast beef, chicken tikka masala etc – but don’t always join the dots.

  • The hen that lays our eggs will have outlived its brother who will have been killed day one. Her own life will be about 72 weeks after which it’s laying efficiency will assign it slaughter. Had she not been a commercial hen, her life span could be 7 to 8 years.
  • The hen that becomes ‘chicken’ will have had a life of about 6 weeks before its genetically design physique and feed, will have ensured a suitable slaughter weight.
  • Similarly constricted life spans apply to dairy and beef cattle, to pigs and sheep.

Deforestation 

Deforestation is widespread across the globe and its impact on temperatures, on biodiversity, on indigenous lifestyles, on rainfall patterns and  flooding, and on carbon levels, is devastating. Across the globe we bewail the loss of these trees and implement legislation that should halt the destruction. But we don’t always join the dots.

Deforestation is driven by increasing demand for:

  • Meat – large tracts of forest are cleared to make way for cattle farms and for vast fields growing animal fodder. The majority of the feed fed to livestock in the UK is imported.
  • Biofuels – large tracts of forest are cleared to make way for bio fuel crops such as sugar cane and palm oil.  Equally disconcerting is the clearance of forests to provide wood pellets for biomass heating and power stations.
  • Mining minerals such as copper, cadmium, lithium etc which on the one hand are essential for manufacturing batteries but on the other hand often involve the destruction of forests and the pollution of the land further da aging water supplies and biodiversity.

Our lives and what we consumer can be very complicated. Sometimes we have to make choices to restrain what we consume in order that we can ensure a sustainable future for everyone. 

Counting on 2026 …. Day 76

9th July 

Scientists and health experts are equally agreed that active travel benefits not only benefits the environment but also our own health.

“People who do regular physical activity have a lower risk of:

Research also shows that physical activity can boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress.” (1) 

Driving less and using active travel – walking, cycling, public transport – is good for us as well as helping to reduce climate damaging emissions. And the benefits don’t stop there!

https://communityhealthpartnerships.co.uk/sustainability-update-for-tenants-active-travel-and-cycling-feb-2024/
  1. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-health-benefits/

Counting on 2026 …. Day 75

8th July 

Allwood in his book Promise the Earth (1) advises that we not only reduce our consumption of meat and dairy but also of rice in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. (2) Traditional rice growing in flooded paddies produces both methane and nitrous oxide – both powerful greenhouse gases which have a particular high impact on temperatures rises in the short term. Emissions from rice growing have doubled in the last 60 years. (3) Work is ongoing to develop rice growing techniques that reduce emissions and ensure more sustainable water usage. 

Shaping our diet to be both healthy and environmentally friendly does prompt us to think – and investigate – about where our food comes from and its impact on the environment and its contribution to the wellbeing of those who produce it.

For example choosing to eat what is in season and what is grown locally, enables us to reduce resources used and emissions produced in the transport of our food. Buying locally supports our local economy and can help us build up a relationship with those who produce our food. Buying ultra locally could mean we actually see how the produce is grown or how the livestock is reared.

Equally we can choose to buy fairly traded products such as tea, coffee and chocolate so that we can be confident that those who have grown these foods have been well paid within a  safe working environment. You can use Ethical Consumer (4) to research which makes and brands are best. 

For more thoughts – https://greentau.org/tag/fairtrade/

  1. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/promise-the-earth/31E27442471A864A6582BA751ECD239F
  2. https://www.cambridgebookshop.co.uk/products/promise-the-earth
  3. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-global-rice-paddy-greenhouse-gas.html

(4) https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/food-drink/shopping-guide/tea

Counting on 2026 …. Day 73

6th July

Following on from the last post if as a nation we can’t afford – or maybe even more pragmatically don’t have enough time – to electrify our freight network, then we as individuals must curb our consumption of products that require freight transport. 

This might be not replacing household goods as frequently – making TVs, kitchen appliances, mobile phones etc last longer. 

This might be not adding buying as many extra pieces of clothing or pairs of shoes – we can wear what we have for longer, repair or adjust them as necessary, or swop with others.

This might be not buying as many consumables – whether that is books, electric fans, toys and knick  knacks, etc – but rather buying what we need and what we know will have a long life.

This might be choosing to buy local made products, locally grown foods.

Counting on 2026 …. Day 72

3rd July

Nothing in life is ever simple! Allwood highlights this when talking about how we trade off decisions. But this is not local carrots versus organic imports, but more about what we do when the alternative is unaffordable. He gives two examples – one at a national and one at an individual level.

“For example, nationally, if we can’t afford to invest in new infrastructure for electric freight, we must learn to live with less freight.” 

“In households, if we cannot afford an electric car, then we need to start voicing our concern now, to suppliers and to local politicians, to ask for help on our journey to phasing our use of petrol cars, by supporting cost reductions or better provision of public transport.” (Both p. 134) 

Why? Because the environment, the climate cannot accommodate us producing yet more emissions. If we don’t stop, the cost will be temperature increases approaching 4C and the consequences of extreme heat + droughts + severe cold + poor harvests and food shortages + disruption to transport + more climate induced medical emergencies + failing public services etc. 

The trade off tells us that the cost of not cutting emissions will always be more than we can afford, and that restraint will always be the better option.

Might there be merit in deferring action in the hope that things might improve, or that new technologies may come long? Allwood tackles this response through out the book: and no, the science tells us things will not improve if we wait, and no, there is no new technology that is going to be available at scale and in time to address the crisis. 2050 is only 23 years away and in the time scale of technological developments that is minuscule.

Counting on 2026 …. Day 71

2nd July

Thirdly Allwood highlights the importance of ‘gathering good information’ to aid our decision making. (P133). Here the problem can be how to avoid green washing!  And I think equally not being sucked in by advertising generally. Advertising is designed to make us buy more, not because it is good for us, but because it boosts profits.

I find the Ethical Consumer a good source of information – https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/

You might find Mike Berners Lee’s book ‘How Bad are Bananas: the carbon footprint of everything’ a useful read.  https://howbadarebananas.com/

Allwood himself includes a resource section in the appendix. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/promise-the-earth/31E27442471A864A6582BA751ECD239F

Counting on 2026 …. Day 70

1st July

Allwood next focus is on domestic equipment/ infrastructure. What we have does affect our emissions. A small efficient freezer/ television/ car will produce fewer emissions than a larger one. When we need to replace such items, we can choose one with lower emissions. But equally we should bear in mind  that buying new also has an emissions output, and that making things – phones/ TVs/ clothes etc – last longer can be a good saving off emissions and resources.

The same approach can be used in the workplace.

When it comes to local and national infrastructure, we may wish to lobby local councillors or MPs to ensure that they too are making decisions that a) reduce emissions and b) that make sure such infrastructure is readily available for everyone and not just those who can afford it. eg the cost of travelling by public transport should not be more than the cost of going by car.