A statement of the National Council of Churches in Australia to the governments of Australia

Following the Earth Summit, and Social Justice Sunday 2002, which had the theme Sustaining Creation, we write on behalf of the National Executive of the National Council of Churches - a body comprised of fifteen churches across Australia.

The environment is one of the key issues of our time! We believe that Christian faith can and should be a major force for change towards sustainable development, sustainable communities and a healthy environment.

All of us are aware that our planet's health and vitality are decaying. In the twentieth century, the human impact on the earth increased enormously. In the last thirty years alone, human activity has destroyed many of the planet's natural resources. Climate change, flooding, salination, habitat destruction, desertification, pollution, urban expansion, and famine have all played their part. A large number of species have become extinct. Many more are in danger of extinction. One billion people now suffer from a shortage of fresh water. Scientists have said the web of life is unravelling.

Every problem facing the world community is interrelated. Exploitation and greed, the consequent poverty of human communities, displacement of people, environmental degradation all impact on each other. It is not possible to tackle one without attempting to tackle another.

Certainly, these matters are political issues. They are economic issues. But at a deeper level, they are much more. At their core, they constitute a spiritual and moral crisis, touching all that we hold sacred.

We desperately need a change of spirit and attitude. Sustainable development is one of the most urgent moral tasks of our time. An appropriate response begins from sustainable values that recognise the inter-relatedness of all life.

Development is not su-stainable if it steals from present and future generations. Poverty and environmental degradation are interwoven, and it is the poor who suffer most from this degradation. Sustainable development cannot be defined in economic terms alone, but must begin in a commitment to care for the poor, the marginalised, and the voiceless. We seek a sustainable community.

Our Christian faith shapes our attitudes towards and concerns for the community and environment in which we live. Speaking out of these concerns, we:

1. call upon the Australian Government

• to take action in solidarity with people most affected by climate change by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol as a matter of urgency
• to recognise the need for subsequent stronger efforts, such as setting new targets and timetables for increased use of renewable energies
• to continue to address the intolerable burden of unpayable debt on the world's poorest nations.

2. call upon the Australian Government and state governments:

• to work together for peace, justice and economic prosperity within a context of ecological stability
• to adopt environmental policies that do not steal from present and future generations, recognizing that poverty and environmental degradation are interwoven, and that it is the poor who suffer most from this degradation
• to adopt policies that enhance the quality of the rivers and the land, the sea and the air and protect endangered species and all forms of life.

3. encourage the whole community

• to act consistently in ways that affirm the intrinsic worth of the whole creation, recognising that all its resources are entrusted to human beings to be handed on responsibly and faithfully to future generations
• to demonstrate simplicity of lifestyle rather than over-consumption and greed.
• to be thoughtful about the use of resources in all places where we live, work and relax, especially in regard to the use of recyclable goods and the disposal of refuse.

We undertake to do all in our power through the Churches to act in ways that will assist in the achievement of these goals.

We believe that a better, more holistic, understanding of the Earth, which recognises that human beings are part of the created order and not separate from it, will make a major contribution to the transforming change that is essential for the well-being of the Planet in the third millennium.

The Revd John Henderson
General Secretary - National Council of Churches in Australia

On behalf of the 15 member churches of the National Council of Churches in Australia:-
The Anglican Church of Australia
The Lutheran Church of Australia
The Antiochian Orthodox Church
The Religious Society of Friends
The Armenian Apostolic Church
The Roman Catholic Church
The Assyrian Church of the East
The Romanian Orthodox Church
The Churches of Christ
The Salvation Army
The Congregational Federation of Australia
The Syrian Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church
The Uniting Church in Australia
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia