Letters - 15 August 2014
From saving the earth to Yearly Meeting Gathering
Courage to save the earth
The twenty-first International Climate Conference will be held in Paris in November 2015. Its target is universal, legally binding, CO2 emissions reduction.
If we reduce CO2 emissions immediately this should limit warming to 2˚C. Humans and many animals can adapt to that. Delay cutting carbon emissions for a decade and we get four or more degrees of warming, resulting in violent, catastrophic weather events and vastly increased sea levels. Over 5˚C and the Amazon rainforest dies and we lose the lungs of the planet. At current levels of increasing CO2 emissions, we are set for 8˚C of warming by the end of this century. Water then starts to boil off the planet.
What I propose is a mass concentration of thought or prayer (a practice previously used in 1940s called the Silent Minute) to influence the outcome of this vital summit. Along with focusing on courage to face the scientific evidence and changing our destructive behaviour, this daily practice, I believe, can build a powerful spiritual strength to support all governments in saving this planet.
As it will be the twenty-first summit which will determine the climate in the twenty-first century, it seems appropriate to do this daily practice at 21.00 hrs.
With enough participants, we could bring about the selflessness, courage and determination in leaders, and everyone, to do the right thing for all life on this unique, beautiful, ‘blue marble’ planet.
Christine Meredith
Trident and Scotland
Glen Reynolds is absolutely right to point to the sham that UK’s Trident is independent (25 July). As someone committed to the rapid development of a world with no nuclear weapons, starting with UK’s Trident, but with no say in the referendum (although I lived, and voted, in Scotland for ten years last century), I wish the Scots well in their desire to rid us of all nuclear weapons. I would be even more impressed were the Scottish National Party (SNP) to advocate withdrawal of an independent Scotland from NATO.
Whether it would make much difference to world disarmament were the UK to be shorn of Scotland, in spite of the embarrassment of finding a new site to house its nuclear arsenal, may be doubted. It is those in power in the US and in Russia, who between them hold ninety-five per cent of the world’s nuclear weapons, who need convincing that the world is safer without these obscenities, and we who advocate disarmament must continue to press on unabated.
I recommend a blog from last year for further discussion on the Christian perspective: http://bit.ly/AChristianPerspective and can post a printed version for those not on the internet.
Frank Boulton
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