Editorial

Unless we change

By Kathy VanLoon
March/April 2008

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Another beautiful day greeted me this morning. Four days in a row of glorious sunshine and mild temperatures. Not too bad for the first week of April. When I lived in Ontario I remember counting on at least one last winter storm each year at this time – winter's last cough – before my bones could settle on the comfort that spring had arrived. Now I live in Nova Scotia where the temperatures are a bit cooler than in Ontario and spring a little later arriving. Yet this year the weather has been consistently mild and sunny. No last winter cough, at least not yet. Will it occur this year?

I’m sure many of us are making small observations in our own environments and wondering what the connections might be to global warming.

This issue of Scarboro Missions opens with a feature on climate change by Scarboro missioner Karen Van Loon, coordinator of Scarboro's Justice and Peace Office (JPO). Last summer, the Scarboro community at its Chapter meetings unanimously voted to make climate change and ecological justice a priority for the JPO over the next five years.

Karen's article provides an overview of some of the growing evidence confirming that climate change is happening now and that it is mostly due to human activities, primarily the activities of those of us living in the wealthy nations. From all findings, the future looks bleak for future generations, for the poor, and for all life on the planet — unless we change. The choice is ours.

Karen suggests ways in which we can live more simply and sustainably. This includes eating locally produced and organic foods; walking and biking more; repairing, reusing, recycling, composting, sharing. These are wonderful ways to live and good lifestyle changes.

However, equally essential is our participation in public actions and our demand for strong action on climate change from our government leaders. Included in Karen's article is an opportunity to respond to the Re-energize campaign of KAIROS, the coalition of Canadian churches and religious organization working for justice.

This issue also speaks about young people who yearn for "the things that make for peace" Luke 19:42. And we introduce you to Kids4Peace whose Toronto camps and activities bring together Muslim, Jewish, and Christian children from Israel and Canada.

Mike O'Kane writes about his experience of traveling to Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incan Empire, and feeling enveloped in the wonder and majesty of God; an experience that moved him to tears.

In their 1998 letter on ecology, the Alberta bishops wrote: "Part of human sin has been to see ourselves as separate from the rest of creation, seeing the natural world only as a source of profit and personal gain. To overcome this sin, we need to affirm our place within the dynamic web of creation which supports and sustains all life."

The bishops also said that ecological destruction and the loss of diversity obscures our ability to see and experience God. We risk losing sight of God in the beauty of creation.

For the poor, for future generations, for all life on the planet, our choice is clear. "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live." (Deuteronomy 30:15,19)

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