The carbon calculator used at the service can be found here.
The service ended with the following confession and non-absolution:
For failing to think of the harm done to air, water, land, plants, and animals,
Lord have mercy.
For failing to conserve energy, Lord have mercy.
For allowing ourselves to be saturated by the allurements of a consuming culture, Lord have mercy.
For not being thankful for the gifts God has given, Lord have mercy.
God is faithful and just and forgives everyone who turns to him and repents.
But our sins are against our world as well as God. The world cannot forgive, because it has no voice. All we can do is to amend our ways so that we stop damaging it. We end this service not with a blessing, but with a charge to be a blessing to the world that God has given us as a gift.
This article started out as a review of the book Heat by George Monbiot about the reality of climate change and how to address it, but it has since evolved into more than simply a review -- I have added some elaborations of my own. Monbiot draws an analogy between the use by humans of fossil fuel, allowing us to live in an amazing way until the environment is ruined, and the pact made by Dr Faustus whereby, in return for a few years of power, his soul is consigned to hell.
This raises the question: what sort of person would sell their soul? I can think of two obvious examples.
Firstly, somebody who did not believe there was such a thing as hell. An analogy can be drawn with people who deny the existence of climate change. Although they are a dying breed now, there are a few such people, who will always point out the evidence that seems to suggest climate change is not a reality (you can always find some if you look hard enough, in the same way that if you look hard enough you can use the Bible to justify racism. The world would be a better place if nobody did either of these things). We can't be certain what will happen, but the probability that climate change will destroy the environment is high -- and who would gamble their own and their children's life and future on short odds?
And secondly, somebody who was convinced they would go to hell no matter what they did. The analogy here is with people who think they can do nothing about climate change. This belief is far more common, and perhaps reasonably so; according to Monbiot, and also other writers such as Mark Lynas, the average cut in carbon emissions required for people living in the UK is 90%. (To get an indication of how much you need to cut your carbon, click here. This calculator isn't perfect but it is one of the best I have seen).
But Monbiot believes that 90% cuts can be achieved, and sets out a plan for doing so. The use of carbon must be allocated fairly, by means of a rationing system. As a result, excessively carbon-intensive processes such as bringing fruit from the other side of the world (as Faustus does) would be priced out of the market.
And to allow us realistically to live within our ration limits, various changes are required. In summary:
- Build new homes and convert existing homes to "passivhaus" standards, meaning that they require no active heating or cooling systems. This requires improved building regulations. Also replace Portland cement with artificial geopolymeric cement (Monbiot accepts that cement is not a very interesting subject).
- Produce half of grid-based electricity from gas-burning power stations, with capture and storage of carbon dioxide produced, and the other half from offshore wind and wave machines.
- Redesign coach travel to make it the most effective way of transporting people. Move freight to the railways. Run road vehicles off batteries, which can be switched and recharged at "filling stations".
- Replace shopping in large stores with virtual shopping, i.e. home delivery.
- Aviation. Monbiot has no solution -- his message is "you can't". I suggest one of my own: limit the number of flights to a sustainable level (perhaps one-twentieth of the current level), and allocate them according to the benefit they will bring. This will enable international skill-sharing through organisations such as VSO to continue.
What is needed to bring about this absolution from hell? As Monbiot argues, the technology exists; what is lacking is human and political will.
So now it is time to take action. There are many things you can do -- but start by writing to your MP to ask them to support a Climate Change Bill with targets strong enough to prevent global average temperatures from rising to more than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels, this being a critical threshold. A particular requirement is for the Climate Change Bill to cover aviation and shipping. You need to be quick -- the consultation deadline is the 12th of June. See the DEFRA web site for more information.
If you are short of time, Friends of the Earth has a proforma message you can use here. But individual letters are usually more effective.
I will return to Dr Faustus for the final word. He is given numerous opportunities to repent, even after he has signed his pact with the devil. This is how near he gets:
Re-enter GOOD ANGEL and EVIL ANGEL.
Evil Angel. Too late.
Good Angel. Never too late, if Faustus can repent.
Evil Angel. If thou repent, devils shall tear thee in pieces.
Good Angel. Repent, and they shall never raze thy skin. [Exeunt ANGELS.]
Faustus. Ah, Christ, my Saviour,
Seek to save distressed Faustus’ soul.
So what happens after that? The devil appears and distracts him, and he does not repent.
Don't let yourself be distracted.