Environmental Action Group

What if, when the Uniting Church in South Australia meets later this year, the Synod were to adopt a proposal that stated: “We accept that global conditions have now reached a state that warrants declaring a Climate Emergency”.  Just more words?  Or a stimulus for us to wake up and begin taking appropriate action?

In June 2019 the Pope declared a 'climate emergency'.  Sixteen countries have done it (including the UK, Ireland and Canada ).  World-wide hundreds of local governments have done it. In Australia more than 25 local authorities, including the Cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Wagga Wagga and the Australian Capital Territory have made such a declaration.

Why would we even consider bringing such a proposal to the Synod?  Isn't this the role of governments?  Why would the church do this?...

The EAG wrote recently to the major political parties outlining the issues we thought were important in this election.  The ALP has replied with a comprehensive summary of their policies covering all the issues we raised with them: carbon emissions,  transport and infrastructure,  waste and plastics,  drilling for oil and gas in the Great Australian Bight,  the Murray-Darling river system,  bio-diversity and disposal of radio-active waste.  As other parties and candidates respond, we will post summaries on this web-site.

A brief summary of the most important points from the ALP follows:

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction

• Labor is committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 45% on 2005 by 2030 and that includes increasing renewable energy in our electricity...

Human beings alone are capable of disobeying God's laws, because they try to be wiser than God… Other creatures fulfil the commandments of God; they honour [God's] laws… But human beings rebel against those laws, defying them in word and action. And in doing so they inflict terrible cruelty on the rest of God's creation. Hildergard of Bingen 1098-1179

from the 'Just Earth' app.

Below is a list of questions for the candidates who are standing for political office in your electorate, drawn up by the Environmental Action Group. A much-simplified form of these questions will be sent to every party in SA that is fielding candidates. Each party is being asked for a response.

The complete list below is one from which you can choose according to your own sense of priorities. You are encouraged to ask each...

Letter from the international coordination group of the youth-led climate strike 

We, the young, are deeply concerned about our future. Humanity is currently causing the sixth mass extinction of species and the global climate system is at the brink of a catastrophic crisis. Its devastating impacts are already felt by millions of people around the globe. Yet we are far from reaching the goals of the Paris agreement.

Young people make up more than half of the global population. Our generation grew up with the climate crisis and we will have to deal with it for the rest of our lives. Despite that fact, most of us are not included in the local and global decision-making process. We are the voiceless future of humanity.

We will no longer accept this injustice. We demand justice for all past, current and f...

JUST EARTH  is a free App for your Smartphone. Having uploaded the App, you will be presented on each day of Lent with a short, inspiring  reflection with pictures, quotes, prayers and actions on the theme of Lamenting and Caring for the Earth. 

The App was launched on February 14th 2019 by the President of the Uniting Church, Dr. Diedre Palmer, and is now available for download onto Smartphones everywhere.

Download the free app in the Apple and Android stores:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/just-earth/id1451886485?ls=1&mt=8

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.earthapp

At a time when the natural eco-systems of our planet are under greater stress than at any time since the advent of humankind, JUST EARTH reminds us of  our responsibility and opportunity  to nurtu...

Dr. David Shearman is the Honorary Advisor to Doctors for the Environment Australia and Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Adelaide University.

His article published in ABC News responding to continued proclamations by climate change deniers supporting the coal industry is found at the following web address. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-07/climate-change-denialism-holocaust-david-attenborough-coal/10585744

A short excerpt from this article is as follows:
 

"Climate change denial prevents effective action on emissions, and leads to other lies and evasions by our leaders who support big coal and other polluters. Our government hit a new low point this week, by admonishing those who care."

"The collapse of our civilisations'

Climate change delusion is dangerous to humanity, for it overtly or devious...

PLASTIC

- OUR ADDICTION TO PLASTIC 

- ITS EFFECT ON THE NATURAL WORLD 

- WHAT CAN WE DO TO CHANGE? 

Some Facts on Plastic 

Plastic is now everywhere. Recent research indicates that Australians discard

9.7 billion plastic items each year — 2.6 billion coffee cups, 3.3 billion plastic bags, 1.3 billion water bottles — and straws. Lots of plastic straws. Each year 370 million plastic bottles go into landfill. On average, Australians produce 1.5 tonnes of waste per person each year, Of this about 130Kg (or 9%) is plastic. At present only 12% of this is recycled. Up to 130,000 tonnes of this plastic will find its way into the ocean. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, and in fact may never fully degrade.

Packaging accounts for over 40% of total plastic usage.

Nappies

In Australia and New Zealand alon...

We live and work and play in a physical environment that is actually quite fragile.  Recent earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and storms remind us of how puny we are in the face of natural forces.  Among living things, we are 'top predator' and our advancing encroachment across the natural world must seem like a tsunami of destruction to other living things: birds, mammals, insects and all manner of crawling things, sea creatures, forests and woodlands.

While we take what we want in the short term, we lay the foundations for biological poverty in the future.  The dominance of mono-crops, the destruction of habitats that support multiple forms of life, the erosion of fertile soils – these are consequences of our lack of awareness of how our day to day decisions have many unforeseen outcomes. 

O...

Notes from a talk to the EAG by Kathy Scarborough, Unley Council Waste Management Coordinator

1. The main reason for China refusing to accept recyclables from Australia (and the rest of the world) is contamination eg. plastics and rubbish mixed with paper and vice versa.  China will only accept material with less than 0.5% contamination which is not achievable through our kerbside recycling collection process.
    

2. Recycling companies sort recyclable waste to remove contamination but this is not adequate with present technology to meet China's new standards.
    

3. Australian recycling facilities are being expanded to fill the gap but need financial assistance in the short term due to the huge drop in prices they now receive for their products. In the long term they need markets for their recy...

The EAG is made up of about a dozen people who meet regularly to make the connections between their faith and our mandate to care for the earth. (“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and and take care of it.”  Genesis 2:15 NIV)

Our watchword: Caring for God’s creation is our core business.