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In summer 2004, the UK government ran a consultation on its new strategic framework for sustainable development, seeking to go beyond the current strategy "A better quality of life" which was published in 1999. A consultation paper "Taking it On" was produced jointly by the UK government, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government and the North Ireland Administration. SRT contributed to a submission by the Scottish Sustainable Development Forum and also made its own submission (Word, 90KB) to the consultation process.
Ten years on from Rio, World leaders met again to discuss sustainable development at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg (26 August - 4 September 2002). In addition to Heads of Government, other stakeholders were officially involved in the process for the first time, such as business and industry, the media, non-governmental organisations and communities from every part of the earth. SRT Director Donald Bruce accompanied the First Minister Jack McConnell to the Summit as part of a six person delegation representing Scottish civic society. For more information about SRT's involvement in Jo'burg, see our pages and report on the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002.
SRT's booklet Seeing Scotland from the Summit was written by Charles Somerville to translate into ordinary language what went on at the Earth Sumit in Rio in 1992, and what "sustainable development" implies for Scotland, looking especially at energy, transport and personal lifestyle. See our SRT Publications List to obtain a copy.
As Government delegations and voluntary organisations take part in the Summit, churches across Britain and Ireland are called to get involved with prayer and action. Four Christian environmental organisations (A Rocha UK, Christian Ecology Link, Eco-Congregation and The John Ray Initiative) in association with the Environmental Issues Network (EIN) of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) have prepared Briefing Materials for Churches, including a 'Creation Care' prayer for use on Sunday 25th August, the Sunday prior to the summit.
Churches at the international level are also very active. The European Christian Environment Network and the World Council of Churches have been actively involved at the series preparatory conferences to the world summit. Their websites European Christian Environment Network at WSSD and World Council of Churches at WSSDoffer informed comment on the key issues which are at stake.
The SRT Project also participates in European church studies on a number of issues. It took part in a 2 year working group study on economics and the environment for the European Ecumenical Commission for Church and Society (EECCS). The final 80 page report The Dominant Economic Model and Sustainable Development : Are they Compatible? was a significant contribution to the EU's "5th Community Programme of Policy and Action in relation to Environment and Sustainable Development." Click here for a 5 page Executive Summary.
From a basic Christian understanding of creation, the report challenges the prevailing EU emphasis on economic growth and points to the tension this places on the EU's parallel commitment to a more sustainable approach to the earth's resources and environment. It recommends some fiscal and technical measures, and applies the principles established in the first 5 sections to 3 case studies - energy, transport and international trade. Europe's huge consumption of fossil fuels is seen as a particular barrier to sustainability. The report urges especially the inclusion of the external (i.e. environmental) costs in the price we pay for coal, oil and gas and for our road transport. It also draws attention to the need of all Europeans to change our way of life in such areas as our use of cars and energy, to adopt a less consumptive lifestyle, and begin an "efficiency revolution" in our use of the earth's resources and the products we make from them.
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For more information about climate change generally, see our Climate Change Home Page
Arguably of all the environmental problems facing the human race, none is more serious than global warming. For the first time, we appear to be upsetting not just some piece of local ecology, or even the environment of a large region, but some of the basic climatic processes of the planet, on which life depends. The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change has stated that it does now appear that human activity is warming up the planet artificially, over and above whatever may be the natural "background" fluctuations of the climate. The effects of this are hard to predict with any certainty, but these include gradual sea level rises, significantly increased storms and extremes of weather, a shifting of temperate regions towards the poles and of hotter regions to what are now temperate.
In Scotland, some joke that a bit more warmth would be nice, but it is likely to bring more rain, storms and high winds. And if you were in Bangladesh or a low lying Pacific island, to have the sea level rise a metre or so, or to have more violent tropical storms, could become a matter of life and death. As always, it seems it is people in the Third World who look likely to bear much of the worst effects of what is still largely caused by the excessive consumption of coal, oil and gas by us in the rich "west". Yet most western nations are not prepared to take the serious action which most experts acknowledge is necessary, if we are truly to tackle the emissions of "greenhouse gases", rather than just talk about it. Not for nothing did a group of Pacific island states accuse us of moral failure.
For this reason, the World Council of Churches invited churches and any others who share our concerns amongst the industrialised nations to petition our Governments for more stringent policies to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions, and to encourage measures like the saving of energy and the introduction of much more renewable energy into our supplies. The results of this were presented to the UN negotiators at a ceremony in Bonn on March 2, and will be presented to the UK Government on March 25. For the results of the petition, see Climate Change : Petition Results or the Climate Change Petition itself.
After the Kyoto summit in December 1997, negotiations continued over 3 years, backing progressively further away from making actual reductions. As expected, the new US Bush Administration has now announced it has no intention to ratify the agreements it pledged in 1997. This rank denial of a problem by the nation which is by far the world's worst offender in greenhouse emissions beggars belief.
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Our Nuclear Power Home Page leads to an overall assessment of the issues as seen in 1996 What Future for Nuclear Power?, and in June 1998 a brief comment on What Lessons from Dounreay?. In April 1996, the SRT Project's Director visited Chernobyl on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the accident, which turned out to be unexpectedly dramatic, and recorded his impressions of what he saw in
Chernobyl Reminder.
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Transport has emerged as both one of the most pressing issues raised by the environment, and the one nearest to home for most people, because it challenges us to rethink our habits of travel and mobility. In August 2002, SRT responded to Edinburgh City Council's consultation on congestion charging. See our page on the Effect of Transport on the Scottish Environment.
See also our information sheet on Car Use and Environmental Responsibility.
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No environment issue is currently more in the UK news than the concerns about genetically modifed crops. Is this a serious problem neglected by Government and proponents or have the issues been greatly exaggerated by the greens and the media? And why is there such a big difference in view between Europe and the USA? The SRT Project was already examining such questions long before the current furore through an expert working group, and our book Engineering Genesis. See our suite of pages on Genetically Modifed Food.
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Eco-Congregation
is an environmental programme which offers free resources and support to congregations wishing to
incorporate environmental care more widely into their church life and mission.
The resources support existing activities such as worship, teaching, children’s
and youth work, maintaining buildings and grounds and engaging with the wider
community. The Scottish churches launched the Eco-Congregation Programme in Scotland
on 28 March 2001. Senior representatives of all the major denominations
signed a pledge
committing the churches to the Programme at a special service in Dunblane
Cathedral. Eco-Congregation is a natural extension to the Better heating Scheme of the Church of Scotland,
begun in 1978. It was endorsed by the 1998 Church of Scotland General Assembly and all Assemblies since 2000.
In June 2002, SRT appointed Victoria Beale as Assistant Director,
with a specific focus on environmental issues. Part of her role is to encourage and facilitate the uptake
of the Eco-Congregation Programme in Scotland. At July 2004,
50 Scottish churches are already registered with the programme and are
well on their way with environmental projects and 11 have gone on to
receive awards. Could you start things off in your church? To find out more, click on
Eco-Congregation Scotland or contact Victoria at SRT.
In May 2004, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland formally adopted an environmental policy. The policy affirms the many examples of good environmental practice already evident in the Church, such as the Better Heating Scheme and the activities of increasing numbers of congregations using the Eco-Congregation Programme, and encourages others within the church to follow these examples. The policy builds on the Deliverances of previous General Assemblies concerning the environmental responsibilities of the Church and the recognition in the Church Without Walls Report of "our call to be an example as good stewards of God's creation", laying down guidelines to assist the Church to translate these principles into action. As well as general guidelines, the policy calls for each of the different departments and groups within the Church to produce their own environmental policy, with specific targets appropriate to them. The Church offices at 121 George Street have now done so and a series of environmental workshops for office staff has been initiated, with the first focussing on waste and recycling.
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SRT's Environment Pages
Environment Home Page Sustainable Development Transport and Scottish Environment Information sheet: SRT Environment Work Information sheet: Car Use and Environmental Responsibility Risk Pages |
SRT's Energy Pages
SRT Energy Home Page Impact of Energy in Scotland's Environment What Prospects for Renewable Energy? . |
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SRT's Nuclear Power Pages Nuclear Power Home Page What Future for Nuclear Power? What Lessons from Dounreay? Chernobyl Reflection |
Climate Change Pages Climate Change Home Page Climate Change Petition Climate Change : Petition Results . |
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Greening the Church Scottish Churches' Energy Efficiency Scheme Eco-Congregation in Scotland |
This page was last revised on 4 November 2004
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