Warning - Melting Ice Ahead

Members of Christian Climate  Action went to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Enterprise (DBEIS) at the end of November to mark the first Anniversary of the UN Paris Agreement on Climate Change. I am sending this video which has only now become available, together with some information which puts it into context.

Our action there was to deliver a letter to Nick Hurd MP, the Junior Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Energy; to place some melting ice (safely) in the reception area to symbolise global warming and rising sea levels; and to paint whitewash up to a level of 6 feet on the glass frontage of the building. This last act had two meanings, one to indicate the level of flooding which is predicted in London as sea levels rise; and the second to remember Jesus’ statement about the authorities of his time as being like whitewashed tombs, clean on the outs ide and full of corruption inside.

Our letter to Nick Hurd made explicit our reasons for regarding this building as a whitewashed tomb: ‘‘While the Government ratifies the Paris Climate Change Agreement in an attempt to demonstrate that it is taking imminent catastrophic climate change seriously, it has done the following:

Scrapped the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Ended climate change concerns having a designated Minister in the Cabinet.  

So reduced the status of climate change concerns that these are not even mentioned in the title of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; and in the Department’s outline of its work which lists 8 functions, Climate Change is placed last on the list.

 At the same time the Government pursues road building, airport expansion, fracking and replacing the burning of coal with wood. These policies, along with a raft of other measures contrary to keeping carbon in the ground, mean that our country is not meeting its obligations under the Paris agreement.’’

Two weeks before our action, the UN Environment Program published a report about the expected impacts of the slow progress being made in reducing emissions. Erik Solheim, the Executive Director of UNEP made this extraordinary statement about the report which we included in the letter: “Everybody willing to look can see the impact of our changing climate. People already face rising seas, expanding desertification and coastal erosion. They take little comfort from agreements to adopt mitigation (prevention) measures and finance in the future. They need action today. This report estimates we are actually on track for global warming of up to 3.4 degrees Celsius. Current commitments will reduce emissions by no more than a third of the levels required by 2030 to avert disaster. We must take urgent action. If we don’t, we will mourn the loss of biodiversity and natural resources. We will regret the economic fallout. Most of all, we will grieve over the avoidable human tragedy: the growing numbers of climate refugees hit by hunger, poverty, illness and conflict will be a constant reminder of our failure to deliver. None of this will be the result of bad weather. It will be the result of bad choices by governments, private sector and individual citizens.”

We added: ‘’You will know from your experience in the Department for International Development the truth of what UNEP is saying. You will know too that the primary aim of DBEIS is to increase economic growth, a process which is not compatible with what a finite and already-depleted Earth can offer (see research into Ecological Footprint and Planetary Boundaries). And because you have children, we imagine you will experience a deep wish for their security. Dealing effectively with these concerns as they relate to climate change ultimately rests upon each of us choosing care of the Earth as the over-arching priority, a care which we Christians believe God calls us to.

 ….. we want you to know that we struggle to live up to what we espouse about caring for the Earth. The changes required by every one of us on this beautiful planet are immense. You and your colleagues are in our hearts and prayers as we contemplate the enormity of what is essential to achieve if we truly want a life-affirming future.’’

 After completing our work, we knelt down and prayed until the police arrived. We were accompanied throughout by other members of CCA.

We were not arrested and we have received no reply to our letter to Mr. Hurd.

Members of CCA have concluded that we will witness to the seriousness and urgency of the current situation by taking nonviolent actions including civil disobedience. In this respect we seek to follow Jesus in his actions such as turning over the tables in the Temple forecourt and placing oppressors in a dilemma by going the extra mile or, when we are asked to give our cloak, giving our tunic as well.