The Green Tau

Counting on … day 93

23rd June 2025

Developing countries have a growing need for energy but that should not be seen as an opportunity to promote fossil fuels – to do so traps those countries in the fossil fuel system. Rather these countries should be afforded the opportunity of developing systems that use clean renewable energy – wind and solar, electric vehicles, electric (or direct solar) cooking facilities etc.

“In the coming years most of the additional demand for new electricity will come from low- and middle-income countries; we have the opportunity now to ensure that much of the new power supply will be provided by low-carbon sources.” (1)

Such clean renewable energy will also be a) cheaper and b) afford the countries energy security as they will not be reliant on imported oil and gas – or even if they have indigenous supplies, not subject to the fluctuating prices for fossil fuels set by global markets.

For a report from this year’s IEA summit: “Participants at the Summit emphasised the importance of energy access and affordability as fundamental to national and international security. With nearly 700 million people worldwide still lacking electricity and over 2 billion without access to clean cooking, addressing energy poverty was highlighted throughout the Summit as a key challenge to overcome. Delegates acknowledged that affordability concerns are growing even in advanced economies, where low-income households are disproportionately affected by energy costs.” (2)

(1) https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/05/30/civil-society-groups-push-back-on-fossil-gas-funding-as-african-development-bank/

(2) https://www.iea.org/news/at-london-summit-energy-sector-leaders-usher-in-a-new-era-of-energy-security

More info https://www.who.int/news/item/12-06-2024-progress-on-basic-energy-access-reverses-for-first-time-in-a-decade

Proper 7, 1st Sunday after Trinity

22nd June 2025

Reflection with readings below

Today’s readings from the First Testament encourage us to turn to God, to seek God’s help in times of strife – and goodness are we not in a world best by strife? Turning to to God in prayer is a sound response.

Why? Because you will find strength and comfort through articulating and sharing your concerns with God. Because prayer helps us understand and to increase our awareness of the issue and of ways in which we might be part of the solution.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a timely reminder that we are all equally created by God. God does not divide people into groups that are honoured or despised, more important or less important, more loved or less loved. Any divisions we see are human-made. The passage should also remind us that God, having made all created things, saw that they were all good. Not just humans but creatures too. Not just humans, but plants too. Not just humans, but ecosystems too. When we elevate ourselves above the rest of creation, seeing ourselves as more honoured, more important and more beloved by God, then we become careless and destructive, greedy and thoughtless – we become the cause of harm and violence, damaging and destroying the world in which we live. As baptised Christians, we all called to treat all with equality and consideration and love.

Today’s gospel is a wonderful story of compassion and healing, of freedom and new beginnings. It is also a story about community and togetherness.

What is the difference between the words ‘ill’ and ‘well’? The former is begins with ‘I’ and the letter with ‘we’. Isolated, focused only on ourself and our own needs: we are ill. Together we can support and nurture one another; we consider the needs of our group and we gain from what the group offers; we are well.

In this story we Jesus as the transformative agent who releases Legion from all that ensares him, then he restores him not just to his right mind but to his community. Can we follow this example? Can we help release people from fears and systems that trap them? Can we restore communities, ensuring everyone is included and made welcome? Can we restore relations not just with people but with creatures and plants? Can we restore damaged ecosystems re-establishing sustainable relationships between all component parts?

Isaiah 65:1-9

I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.

I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
to a nation that did not call on my name.

I held out my hands all day long to a rebellious people,

who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;

a people who provoke me
to my face continually,

sacrificing in gardens
and offering incense on bricks;

who sit inside tombs,
and spend the night in secret places;

who eat swine’s flesh,
with broth of abominable things in their vessels;

who say, “Keep to yourself,
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.”

These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all day long.

See, it is written before me:
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;

I will indeed repay into their laps
their iniquities and their ancestors’ iniquities together,

says the Lord;

because they offered incense on the mountains
and reviled me on the hills,

I will measure into their laps
full payment for their actions.

Thus says the Lord:

As the wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, “Do not destroy it,
for there is a blessing in it,”

so I will do for my servants’ sake,
and not destroy them all.

I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah inheritors of my mountains;

my chosen shall inherit it,
and my servants shall settle there.

Psalm 22:18-27

18 Be not far away, O Lord; *
you are my strength; hasten to help me.

19 Save me from the sword, *
my life from the power of the dog.

20 Save me from the lion’s mouth, *
my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls.

21 I will declare your Name to my brethren; *
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.

22 Praise the Lord, you that fear him; *
stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel;
all you of Jacob’s line, give glory.

23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty;
neither does he hide his face from them; *
but when they cry to him he hears them.

24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; *
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.

25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *
“May your heart live for ever!”

26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, *
and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; *
he rules over the nations.

Galatians 3:23-29

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Luke 8:26-39

Jesus and his disciples arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me” — for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

The Lord is my shepherd – a retelling of psalm 23

21st July 2025

He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes. Isaiah 40: 11

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 reflection on Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

In your gift is daily bread, sustenance for each day

From you comes wisdom and understanding –

the gift of peace.

The Lord desires green pasture and clear waters,

wooded hills that clap their hands,

streams that overflow with joy –

a world where all may rest in peace.

The Lord restores my soul,

forgives my sins and heals my pain.

He renews my confidence so I too

may renew broken relationships.

The Lord leads me in right paths.

He goes before us, leading by example

and marking the way –

on earth as in heaven.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

even though the news is of floods and drought,

fires and tempest, I am comforted

for the Lord is my steadfast companion.

I hear of evil – of warfare and greed,

of persecution and oppression;

of self-interest and self-delusion

– yet I fear not evil, for the Lord is our righteousness.

You prepare a table before me

where bread and wine will satisfy my wants.

In the face of adversity,

You anoint me with the Holy Spirit.

The goodness and mercy of the Lord

shall stay with me all the days of my life,
for the Lord is my shepherd

and I shall not want.

Prayers:

Holy God, Shepherd of your people,

forgive us for all the times we have strayed –

and repeatedly strayed –

from your ways.

Set us once again on the right path,

the path of righteousness.

Show us how to love our neighbour as ourself.

Show us how to lead simple lives

that do not steal food and resources

from the mouths of the poor.

Show us how to tend and care for the earth

that the fertility of the soils and the vitality

of pollinating insects will be restored.

Show us how to curb our greed

that there may be an equal sharing of the earth’s gifts

and equitable pay for all who labour.

Show us how to unite all our brethren

in eschewing the use of fossil fuels

that global temperatures can be contained.

Show us how to make space for others

that migrants both human and creaturely

may have space to call their own.

Amen.

Counting on …day 92

20th June 2025

One of the low carbon products that Shell – and other companies – deal in are carbon credits. Shell presents these as part of a cascade to reduce emissions:-

Avoid creating emissions
Reduce emissions
Compensate for remaining emissions through the use of carbon credits as not all industries can decarbonise at the same rate, with heavy industry and transport often utilising carbon credits to achieve net-zero goals.
We actively participate in carbon markets, and have a diverse portfolio of high-quality carbon credits to help our customers reduce their carbon footprint (1)

“Carbon credits essentially represent metric tons of carbon. Simply put, one carbon credit allows or offsets one metric ton of carbon emissions.

The carbon market is where carbon credits are bought and sold. There are two kinds of carbon markets: Compliance Carbon Markets (otherwise known as Regulatory Markets) and Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM). While carbon credits for the compliance market are government regulated, carbon offsets for the VCM are not. That doesn’t mean that they’re not vetted – simply that they’re just verified by third parties…Third-party entities are non-profit organizations that ensure that customers receive what they are paying for. They measure the amount of carbon offset through an environmental project and interpret the data, giving any offset project with their seal a green light for approval.” (2)

There are three basic types of carbon credits:

Those from reduced emissions (typically energy efficiency measures)
Removed emissions (carbon capture and planting forests)
And avoided emissions (for example refraining from cutting down rainforests).(3)

Examples of the first can include capturing methane from landfill and agricultural waste and using g it as a biofuel. Or they might include providing disadvantaged families with more fuel efficient cooking or lighting equipment.

Example of the second might include reforestation, restoring peat bogs and wetlands.

Examples of the third might include making payments to farmers not to cut down prime forest but to maintain its carbon absorbing integrity, or paying for farmers to use methods such as no-till.

Shell is one of the biggest investors in carbon credits – these carbon credits are the main way in which they aim to achieve net zero by 2050. Shell can provide (at an appropriate price) their customers with carbon credits that, for example, match the carbon emissions of the fuel they buy from Shell.

The flaw seems to be that carbon credits are being used not to make good those ‘impossible to avoid’ carbon emissions such as in cement production, but as cover to allow the continued production of fossil fuels whose use can be avoided.

https://www.shell.com/shellenergy/othersolutions/environmental-products.html

(2) https://carboncredits.com/how-do-you-get-carbon-credits/

(3) https://www.weforum.org/stories/2020/11/carbon-credits-what-how-fight-climate-change/

Counting on …day 91

19th June 2025

Yesterday I noted that natural gas (ie methane) produces less carbon dioxide when burnt than either coal or oil. Hydrogen, when that is burnt, produces no carbon dioxide only water. Is hydrogen the green fuel of the future?

Hydrogen is the simplest and most abundant element in Earth but it rarely exists as a gas, instead being found joined with other elements – eg with oxygen which produces water. It can occasionally be found underground but as there are seldom viable ways of extracting, scientists instead have developed ways of producing hydrogen gas artificially – depending on the process used, a number of artificial hydrogens are available, including grey hydrogen, blue hydrogen and green hydrogen.

Grey hydrogen is made using a process called steam reforming, which brings together natural gas and heated water in the form of steam. As well as hydrogen this process also produces carbon dioxide.

Blue hydrogen uses the same process, but aims to avoid the problem of carbon dioxide emissions by capturing the CO2. As reported previously CCS is costly and not necessarily that efficient.

Green hydrogen uses electricity to split water into its component elements of hydrogen and oxygen. This reaction does not produce CO2 but depending on the supply of the electricty, there may be carbon emissions that form part of the total production. The significant criteria would be the use of renewable electricity.

In Scotland Shell* has been partnering with others in the Acorn project which includes the production of blue hydrogen from natural gas with carbon dioxide being stored under the sea via disused pipelines. (1) This involves substantial investment, including government subsidises. The BBC has reported: “UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has confirmed that £200m will be provided to progress the Acorn Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) scheme in Aberdeenshire.” (2)

“The European Commission is facing calls to assess the climate impact of scores of proposed hydrogen projects after data revealed that 90 percent of them could be used to prolong the use of planet-warming natural gas. Companies operating Europe’s existing natural gas infrastructure are seeking to preserve the value of their assets by converting them to carry clean-burning hydrogen to power homes and industry in line with legally-binding climate targets.

“But the data compiled by Brussels-based research and advocacy group Food & Water Action Europe, and shared with DeSmog, shows that 57 percent of 147 hydrogen projects under consideration by the European Commission are designed to also carry natural gas, or “blue” hydrogen made from the fossil fuel. A further 33 percent of projects have failed to rule out carrying fossil-based hydrogen, or have no credible plans to source climate-friendly “green” hydrogen.”

““Greenwashing must be fought, especially when it comes to using public money.”” (3)

https://www.desmog.com/2023/06/22/most-eu-hydrogen-projects-risk-prolonging-use-of-fossil-fuels/

* Shell is, I think still involved with this project, but information is hard to come by. Shell did quietly withdraw from a similar on the Isle of Grain in Kent.

Counting on …day 90

18th June 2025

“Shell believes natural gas and LNG have a critical role to play in the energy transition by producing less carbon emissions than coal when used to generate electricity, helping to maintain grid stability as the share of renewable energy grows, increasingly powering transport and shipping, and providing energy security in the coming decades.” (1)

Is LNG really a green fuel?

Liquid natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been made into a liquid so that it can be more readily transported. The liquefaction process involves cooling the gas to -161oC (-259F). The process reduces it to 1/600th of its original un-liquified volume and to half the weight of water. This reduction in volume has made the storage, and the shipping over significant distances, an economic option. It does of course have to be kept at the required supercool temperature throughout. It is only when it is going to fed into the domestic gas grid that is returned to its gaseous state by warming.

Before the liquefaction became a practicable option, natural gas was typically used by consumers in the locality – in the UK our gas came from the North Sea. Now gas can be sourced from across the world and can be stored whilst buyers are found. Significant amounts of this gas is shale gas using fracking processes. The United States is the world’s largest producer of LNG, followed by Australia and Qatar. Russia despite the fall in demand from European customers, is the fourth largest producer with large reserves of has in Siberia.

LNG is 85-95% methane and when it is burnt produces water and carbon dioxide. And the proportion of carbon dioxide produced is 40% less carbon dioxide (CO2) than coal and 30% less than oil (1) allowing LNG to be marketed as a green fuel. However methane is a more harmful greenhouse gas as when it is released into the atmosphere it a greater impact than carbon dioxide in increasing global temperatures.

However the extraction process, especially by fracking, and leakage during the liquefaction and transportation process, gives rise to substantial leakage of methane. A report produced for the Society of Chemical Industry concluded that 66% of greenhouse gas emissions from LNG were released during these stages with only 34% released during the end-use combustion.(2)

Counting on …day 89

17th June 2025

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the low carbon processes promoted by fossil fuel companies as a low carbon product. CCS involves three stages:-

Capturing the CO2 for storage – The CO2 is separated from other gases produced in industrial processes, such as those at coal and natural-gas-fired power generation plants, or steel or cement works..
Transport – The CO2 is compressed and transported via pipelines, road transport or ships to a site for storage.
Finally, the CO2 is injected into rock formations deep underground for permanent storage. (1)

CCS has been put forward as part of the global net zero ambition to tackle those industrial processes where it is difficult to reduce or remove carbon emissions – eg iron ore smelting, cement making and a small number of similar chemical manufacturing processes that unavoidably produce CO2 as a by-product.

However CCS is still a technology in its infancy and currently has a negligible impact on reducing carbon emissions globally. It is also expensive and does itself require additional energy inputs.

“[There are] 50 operational CCUS projects globally, with about 44 under construction and more than 500 in some stage of planning. Operational projects are capturing about 50 million metric tons of CO2 per year (MtCO2/yr). If all projects in development were complete, estimated total CCUS capacity would be between 416 and 520 MtCO2/yr, which is around 0.9%-1.1% of today’s global greenhouse gas emissions.” (1)

In the UK the Net Zero Teeside Power (NZT Power) project is being developed to capture the carbon emissions from a new gas-fired power station. The power station will be located in the Tees estuary and it’s CO2 will be stored under the North Sea. The 743MW power station will probably supply about 1 to 1.5% of the UK’s electricity needs. The carbon capture technologies to be used is Shell’s CANSOLV, a technology used previously for CCS at two coal fired power stations. It is an as-yet untried technology for gas power stations. Carbon Commentary comments further on this:-

“Typically, gas power stations emit an exhaust stream which is only about 3.5% CO2, a number far lower than most chemical processes and also well below the concentrations from a coal-fired power station. Capturing CO2 from a gas-fired power station is the most expensive way of reducing emissions from a static source.

“Assuming that the proposed NZT power station typically delivers electricity at an average price of £75 per MWh, the CCS will add between about 50% and about 100% to the cost of the power. The total bill to customers will range from about £112 to approximately £150 per MWh. These figures compared to costs of around £50 for onshore wind and solar.” (2)

CCS is clearly a developing technology but is surely one that is best reserved for decarbonising those manufacturing processes where there is no alternative solution and not as a means of allowing for the continued burning of fossil fuels to generate electricity when there are so many other carbon free options such as wind, solar and tidal.

Green Tau: issue 108

16th June 2025

A different take on ‘chastity’

“Members of the Third Order fight against all such injustice in the name of Christ, in whom there can be neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for in him all are one. Our chief object is to reflect that openness to all which was characteristic of Jesus. This can only be achieved in a spirit of chastity, which sees others as belonging to God and not as a means of self-fulfilment.”

At the same workshop I mentioned in Green Tau 107, we also reflected on the above. This is the Franciscan (TSSF – Third Order of the Society of St Francis) principle given for day 8. Its understanding of chastity as not making use of someone else, not using someone else as a means of fulfilling our desires, is noteworthy. Making use of other people is something that is easily done, and often unconsciously.

For example when we buy a cup of coffee, is our desire for the drink being satisfied through the exploitation of underpaid coffee workers in distant parts of the world? Is it being met by the exploitation of café staff who scrape by on a zero hours contract and the minimum wage?

The teaching of St Francis (which itself follows the understanding gained from Genesis 2, Job 38 and psalms 19 and 104 etc) is that all parts of creation – birds and animals, sun and moon, wind and fire, and all manner of plants – and not just fellow humans, are our brothers and sisters and should be respected and treated as such, for they are all created by God and each praises God. So when we are asked to see ‘others as belonging to God and not as a means of self-fulfilment’ then included in all those others, are birds and animals, sun and moon, wind and fire, and all manner of plants etc. We should not be using or exploiting that which God has created as our brethren here on Earth.

For example, if we think to buy a dog, we should not see having that dog as a means of satisfying our own needs – maybe for companionship or protection or as an instagram prop – but as a brother or sister worthy of respect and care.

Or for example, if we buy a pint of milk, we should consider whether our desire for milk is being met by a system that sees a cow as a milk-producing machine that will be slaughtered at at the age of 4 to 6 years.

Or for example, when we fly or drive a petrol car, we should consider whether our desire for travel is being met by a system that sees the atmosphere as a useful place to dispose of greenhouse gas emissions even though that space is already over full.

We don’t live in a perfect world, and many of the systems within which we live are not ones we can readily change – but that should not stop us being aware of the times when we are exploiting others and when we can, changing the way we behave, and when we can’t pressing for change.

For the full set of principles and objectives visit https://tssf.org.uk/tssf-downloads/about-the-third-order/the-principles-of-the-third-order/

Counting on … day 85

16th June 2025

If petrol, diesel and biodiesel fuels are incompatible with net zero carbon targets, how should transport be powered?

On the roads, electric vehicles (EVs or sometimes ZEVs) are one answer, and one favoured by many governments. With the stimulus of subsidies and legislation establishing an end date for the sale of combustion engine cars, EVs are gaining in popularity.

“The UK’s EV sector is gaining momentum, with pure electric cars capturing 21.8% of the market in May 2025. For the first five months of the year, EVs held a 20.9% share, falling short of the government’s 28% zero-emission vehicle mandate target. Including plug-in hybrids and petrol-electric hybrids, electrified vehicles accounted for 47.3% of all registrations last month. Meanwhile, petrol car sales dropped 12.5% year-on-year to 71,000 units, representing 47.5% of the market, while diesel sales fell 15.5% to 7,900 units, just 5.2% of total registrations.” (1)

Not only does the UK have a zero sales date for combustion driven cars of 2030, the UK also has a mandatory 45% emissions reduction target for trucks by the same date. Already electric trucks are being developed with ranges of 500km. (2)

“Sales of electric trucks increased 35% in 2023 compared to 2022, meaning that total sales of electric trucks surpassed electric buses for the first time, at around 54 000. China is the leading market for electric trucks, accounting for 70% of global sales in 2023, down from 85% in 2022. In Europe, electric truck sales increased almost threefold in 2023 to reach more than 10 000 (>1.5% sales share).” (3)

There would seem therefore to be a strong economic case for businesses to invest in electrical vehicles and associated infrastructure, rather than for businesses to be using their market power to relentlessly promote the continued use of combustion engines which are known to make a significant contribution to climate damaging greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Tau: issue 107

15th June 2025

‘The Gospel is as much about where you are coming from as where you are going’.

I was recently taking part in a workshop entitled ‘Tools for contemplative action’ and this phrase that came up, set me thinking. ‘Where you are coming from’ suggests not just your roots or the place where you started, but what is it that is shaping your thinking? What is influencing the choices you make or the actions you take? And if this is important in determine how we respond to God and God’s kingdom, can we change ‘Where are you coming from’ mindset?

By way of an example, Saul – before he became Paul – was coming from the mindset that valued the Law as the absolute and unassailable sole way of encountering God, and he acted accordingly chasing down and imprisoning those who threatened. Then Saul undergoes a 180° transformation – or conversion – and now comes from a mindset where the only way of understanding God and living as God desires is to embrace Jesus Christ and to follow his way of absolute love.

One local church within the period of a year achieved the Eco Church bronze award. They ticked enough of the right boxes and their scores stacked up. They introduced oat milk with their coffee, stopped using pesticides in the garden, and invested in LED lighting.

Did it make any radical changes to the way the congregation thought about the climate and ecological crises? Not really.

Did it transform their hearts and minds, attuning them more closely with ethical and ecological issues, changing the way they behaved? Not really.

But what if that congregation had undergone an ecological conversion? What if their hearts and minds had been transformed to love God and each other and creation in a new and heartfelt ecological way?

Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudatory Si, called on all people of faith to seek an ecological conversion, confident that this would lead to:-

gratitude and gratuitousness (recognition that the world is God’s loving gift)
generosity in self-sacrifice and good works
a loving awareness of a universal communion with the rest of creation
greater creativity and enthusiasm in resolving the world’s problems
a feeling of responsibility based on faith (1)

Ecological conversion is to change where we are coming from. It transforms the base line from which we operate. It reorientates our focus. It changes how we live and think and behave. It transforms how we embody and share the Gospel – ie how we live and share the good news of the kingdom of God.

Such an ecological conversion would have us asking how does what I buy impact other living beings? Could I change or reduce what I buy to show greater love towards, or to protect, others? How does who I bank with impact the natural world, or impact those of my brothers and sisters enduring the impacts of climate change? Does my money help others have better lives or does it cause harm? Do I tread lightly on the earth or does my lifestyle demand a disproportionate amount of the earth’s resources? Am I mindful of the needs of others when I plan my holidays, choose how to travel, go on a shopping spree? Do I treasure the natural world around me, or do I trample what is before my nose to snap that iconic view on the other side of the world?

Such a conversion would have us being grateful for and finding joy in what we already have, and realising that for many of us what we have is more than we need in order to live a fulfilled – ie God-filled – life. We might find ourselves challenging the premise that ‘the more you have, the happier you are’.

Such a conversion would have the effect of giving us time and space to wonder and delight in the natural beauty and integrity of the world that God has created. We might find it an under-appreciated source of joy and sustenance.

Such a conversion would have us asking questions of retailers and industrialists and companies that extract raw materials – How does what you do show care for planet, for the natural world, for people you employ, and for the people you sell to? We would be questioning them about practices that are destructive and products that are elitest – and boycotting them if they continue with such practices. Equally such a conversion would have us asking questions of our local and national politicians and how they might use their power to protect biodiversity, to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, to ensure justice for all but especially for those already marginalised and persecuted by our current economic and social systems.

Such a conversion would have us signing petitions, writing letters and joining campaigns to challenge and change oppressive operations. Such a conversion would have would see us drawing together as communities, helping support others of our brothers and sisters – human and creaturely – close at home and far away.

All these ways of behaving differently are out there in the world and being practiced by individuals and communities. Any of us could take up these alternative ways of behaving. Yet many of us don’t. And I think the reason we don’t – or why we try and then give up – is because we still hold onto old mindsets. We haven’t had that transformation, that experience of ecological conversion, that changes the ‘where we are coming from’.

Can we as fellow Christians, as fellow beings, encourage and enable and pray for that ecological conversion?

https://laudatosimovement.org/news/what-is-an-ecological-conversion-en-news/