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The World Environment Day MessageStatement prepared by Rev. Freddy De Alwis on behalf of Christian Conference of Asia / JID Focus The world environment day is commemorated on 05th June every year and I would like to draw your attention to this important day with the introduction I wrote in 2009. My intention this year is to focus on climate change and migration and its impact and implications to Asia. Although what I have written is in the form of a message it is more than a message as it contains information/statistics which are important and relevant to our region. Introduction The World environment Day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Since then it is commemorated yearly on 5th June and it has become one of the principal mechanism through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environmental and enhance political attention and action. By focusing on the environment on this day it tries to give a human face to environmental issues and empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development. It also attempts to promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. The world has reached a crisis point because of the neglect and damage done by humans to the environment. Therefore, it is vital that we observe this day as the Environment Day and take creative steps to move towards owning and protecting the environment. It is important for us to know that because of the irresponsible behavior of nations, communities and individuals the global temperature has already risen to 0.6 0c and the global increases in Co2 is one of the major causes for the rise in temperature. Already weather-related disasters are piling up in Asia and much worse is expected unless the human behavior and attitudes towards the environment under goes radical changes. It is also frightening to hear that the per capita water availability will decline by 30% in South Asia. This will have a drastic affect and the result will be people and the animal world forced to move from place to place looking for water. It will also lead to a clash of humans and rest of God’s creation. Furthermore, it is also been discussed by scientist that the Himalayan glacier will melt due to the rise in temperature and that will lead to sea level rise, storm, floods, tidal waves which will also have a drastic impact on coastal erosion. These things are already taking place and we and generations to come will be faced with more environment catastrophes if humans do not repent and take action to change their behavior. What this shows is that we humans are not detached from the environment but part and parcel of it. Therefore, any negative action towards the environment has negative consequences. It is those consequences which are having an impact on the planet earth and we as stewards of God’s creation are called to act as responsible stewards. The impact, Implications and vulnerability in Asia Asian region is named to be the world’s most prone to environmental hazards and disaster. Today we are beginning to realize that most of the environmental disasters are linked either directly or indirectly to issues related to climate change. Some of these disasters can be categorized in terms of coastal vulnerability due to rise in sea-level rise including overflow from river banks, storm, cyclones and floods. South Asia will be affected due to the impact of climate change. The result will be rise in sea-level which will pose a threat to areas along the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, including the deltaic areas of the Ganges–Brahmaputra, the Mahanadi, Godvari, Krishna, and the Indus rivers. In addition, Bangladesh, parts of India such as West Bengal, coastal areas along Chennai, Mumbai and southern Pakistan coastal Karachi are prone to large coastal flooding and cyclones. Along the Bangladesh coast there is a rise in sea level due to the interactive effects of global increases in sea level and the subsidence of the Ganges delta region (ADB Climate Change and Migration in Asia Pacific, Executive summary, University of Waikato), Mirza et al., 2001; McGranahan et al., 2007; Karim and Mimura, 2008). McGranahan et al, defining the Low Elevation Coastal Zone as 10 meters above sea level, calculate that 40% of land area and 46% of the population is within this zone. Rising seas will have enormous implications for Bangladesh. Northeast Asia, Taipei, China, Hong Kong, China; Japan; and Korea are part of the Northeast region of Asia and these countries are already experiencing significant environmental hazards largely associated with flooding in densely populated regions. The coastal flooding, lack of water in the west and cyclones are some of the problems people in this part of are Asia faced with. Some of the other problems they face are due to the fact that many people live in the low elevation coastal zone, leaving them vulnerable to the rise in sea level, especially if associated with cyclones. Some of the northeast coastal cities which are highly vulnerable are cities like Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Haikou. The Cities of Guangzhou, coastal Seoul, and southern Honshu in Japan are some of the areas likely to be at high risk from sea-level rise. Southeast Asia, several climate change hazards have been identified in parts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The rise in sea-level, storms and floods are a great concern for low-lying deltas including those along the Mekong, Red, and Irrawaddy rivers. The main rate of sea-level rise in coastal areas over the last 50 years was recorded at 2.5 millimeter per year, just over the average rate of the global sea level rise Implications Unless prevention facilities and plans are carefully prepared, the annual economic losses due to various hazards associated with sea-level rise are anticipated to be more than CNY100 billion in the first 50 years of the 21st century. By 2050, In India, for example, ADB, Rosegrant. (2009) show that climate change could cause a decline of around 20 million metric tons (25%) in rice production and over 30 million metric tons in wheat (30%) over 2000–2050. Clearly, this could create significant pressure for rural to urban migration, both permanent and temporary. a significant number will be affected by coastal flooding. Substantial parts of Mumbai, with around 12 million people, are below sea level and already the city is subject to flooding sea level rise caused by global warming, coupled with an increase in inland floods (from melting Himalayan glaciers) could cause “environmental displacement” in India of 20 million and 26 million in Bangladesh through 2050. Reflections We humans often think that we are the masters of God’s creation and that God has placed us within the creation with the command to subdue and rule everything within the creation. We even quote/misquote scripture to justify that position. This interpretation has been the leading interpretation for centuries and today we are paying the price for it. (Read Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 8) Today, we see several biblical scholars and others revisiting these texts and similar other texts. There attempt is to place the humans in their rightful place and that is to place them not as lords over the creation but as stewards and care takers of the creation. Because of centuries of human misbehavior and use of science and technology to abuse the creation and its resources the planet earth is weeping and groaning. (Romans 8:18-25). That groaning comes to us from all parts of the world, especially from the voices of the poor and the deprived. When we see victims of poverty, drought, floods, cyclones, Tsunami’s and Nargis, we see the groaning and weeping creation of God. God is not the initiator of these catastrophes as talked about by people. It is the human misbehavior which causes most of these events and the poor and marginalized are the victims of the sins of the rich and the powerful. In this context we have to re-imagine our understanding of God as “All Mighty and All Powerful.” Theology of triumphalism has to be replaced with the theology of the Cross. It is a symbol where Jesus undergoes pain and rejection on behalf of others. In a similar way the marginalized, the poor and the vulnerable are suffering for the sins of others. Therefore, they are the “sinned against.” It is with that understanding we should learn to read the scriptures and interpret what is happening within the entire creation of God. My entire understanding of God changes when I see the results of our sinful behavior in and through the pain and groaning of the environment. I see God weeping and groaning in and through the victims of the environment rather than a mighty and a crusading God. Therefore, the present plight of the world and the state of the environment is a judgment on humanity and exposes the human sin of moving away from God, environment and ourselves. This calls us to repentance. But, repentance is not an individual act. It is a corporate act which has to have the engagement of all of God’s people irrespective of their faith perspective. I believe all of us have sinned against the creation and therefore all of us have to repent and reconcile with the creation and make a fresh commitment to protect it as we protect our lives. It is in this context we need to understand the words of St. Paul when he writes “…since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, …” (Romans 3: 23). In that sense to work towards the restoration and care of the environment we have to transcend all barriers and work as God’s children belonging to one whole family of the universe. All religions, including Christianity have within them a spirituality of non attachment and a spirituality to detach ourselves from greed and accumulation. We, the entire world, need to embrace that spirituality if we are really committed to save the planet and our mother earth. 2010 June 04 Freddy de Alwis CCA/ JID posted by cbs on Friday, June 04, 2010 |
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