Global Concerns #1

Global Concerns #1

1. Christian Beliefs on the World

   • Value of God's creation
     • 'God saw all that he made and it was very good'(Genesis 1:31)
   • Stewardship and responsability
     • Stewardship:the belief that people have a duty to look after the environment on behalf of god
       • To be a good steward you must:
         • preserve the environment for the younger or soon to be born
         • share the natural resources of the world fairly among others instead of hoadring them for riches
         • use resources in a sustainable way and remember that they were made by god
         • join groups that also care for the environment

2. Environmental Problems

   • Pollution
     • sources:
       • Car exhaust fumes
       • Power plants
       • factories
   • The destruction of natural habiats
     • tropical forests are under threat of deforestation
     • forests are known as 'lungs of the world'
       • trees remove carbon dioxide
       • without them, greenhouse gasses with heat the world
     • Plants and wildlife destroyed
     • landscape ruined
       • soil erosion
       • landslides
       • lost for future generations
   • the use and abuse of natural reasources
     • limited supply of natural resources
       • draining away because of our way of life

3. Climate Change

   • long term change in average weather and tempurature
     • Polar ice caps melting
       • water levels rising
     • If continued will end with human Civilisation gone
   • Effects of climate change
     • reduced crop yeilds
     • due to the increased temperatures, deaths between the sick and elderly will increase
     • water shortages, more of a likleyhood of wildfire and flooding
     • poorer part of the world will be hit earlier and harder by the effects of climate change

4. Individual and Community Responses

   • Individual responses
     • Recycling and reducing unecessary packaging
       • currently most rubbish either ends up in an incinerator or a landfill site
         • people can stop using plastic bags, which take a long time to break down
         • avoid buying products with unnecessary packaging
     • home energy conservation
       • loft and wall-cavity insulation reduces energy to heat house
       • don't leave taps on
       • don't leave appliances on standby
       • use energy efficient lightbulbs
   • Community responses
     • non polluting forms of transport
       • many people use cars for traveling less than two miles
         • walk or cycle instead
       • some environmentalists do not use planes
         • they are major carbon emmiters
         • unless absolutley necessary
     • buy local
       • instead of buying food from the other side of the world
       • buy from a local producer
         • this reduces transport emissions and helps local buisness

5. national and international responses

   • national responses
     • the stern report
       • July 2005
         • created by lord stern
           • an economist
       • this report concluded that:
         • climate change was real
           • and human activity was contributing
         • the world should spend 1% of GDP to avoid the worst effects
           • if not then GDP will fall up by 20%
             • causing economic hardship
     • UK government politics
       • trying to reduce carbon emmissions by:
         • *finding non carbon alternatives
         • *increasing regulations on buildings
         • *supporting the development of new, greener car fuels
         • *encouraging recycling
   • international responses
     • 1992: the earth summit in Rio de Janeiro
       • This United Nations conference tried to help economic development
         • and stop the destruction of natural resources and pollution
     • 1997: kyoto protocol
       • an international framework convention on climate change
         • aims to prevent 5% of greenhouse gasses
           • by 2008, 182 states signed the protocol
       • adopted for use on 11th December 1997
         • came into force in 2005