Jason Gardner of LICC looks at what's happening to the environment



Continued from page 1

And one last commandment for now:

Thou shalt not fly.

The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, hit the headlines after apparently claiming that flying is a sin. It was in the wake of the C of E launching a campaign to promote green issues. Every diocese in England will distribute a new pamphlet entitled Treasures on Earth.

Of course the Bishop himself was not as blunt as the headlines. As The Times reported, the Bishop actually said flying on holiday or buying a large car is a selfish choice and as such is a symptom of sin.

'Sin' he said 'is not just a restricted list of moral mistakes. It is living a life turned in on itself where people ignore the consequences of their actions.' In this case that means ignoring the amount of Co2 we kick out into the atmosphere.

So there you have it. The beginnings of a fresh set of commandments. Will they ever become set in stone?

Possibly. As the Church of England has realised if you ever want to implement real change then the orders have to come from the (mountain) top down. That's why senior churchmen are endorsing Treasures on Earth.

And political parties have realised that it will take too long to wait for a cultural tipping point - the point where enough individuals really get the message about issues like recycling for it to make a global difference. It's far quicker to legislate for change. Far quicker to enforce people to put the right rubbish in the right box.

But once we start making laws about the environment where do we stop. Once we admit we're guilty of committing eco crimes how do we repent? And how far is the government willing to go? 'Rationing' air miles? Enforcing communal living? Banning Nuclear power?

Moses or Miliband may not have yet appeared with their tablets of 'green' commandments but as far as the planet's ecosphere is concerned the writing is on the wall. The problem is our generation can choose to ignore it - we can simply let our descendants reap the whirlwind.

Now that truly would be a sin. CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.