A collection of short thoughts for ARRCC's 2012 Youth Embassy
By Amy (22), Kirstie (21), Ben (22)
Amy shares her passion to act on climate change
Amy is 22 and is part of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.
Climate change is the biggest challenge facing our generation. We all need to work together to be a part of the solution, not the problem. This is about coming together, realising there is a problem and understanding that we have solutions. Living in a country like Australia, we have a responsibility to help our neighbours in the Pacific Islands and Bangladesh, who are already feeling the effects of climate change. Now is the time for action - together as a generation, we can make a difference.
A personal reflection by Kirsten Ritchie
Kirstie is 21, a Christian, and lives in the Barton electorate in NSW.
What is faith if not fuelled by passion? What is passion without faith? These are questions I've asked myself recently and believe that where there is either without the other, there is limited action.
As Christians it only seems right to bring light on topics that few may not be enitrely aware of and by uniting together we share our vision for change and for impact. It scares me to think that a snapshot of the Earth today can't be given to youth of the future. Day by day our world is slowly changing and by thinking big, as a community, we can act big.
A Christian, theological reflection by Benjamin
Benjamin is 22, a Christian and lives in the electorate of Lowe in NSW.
In the book of Genesis chapter 1 verse 26-28 it says
Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and sudbue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
When God was creating the earth, he created us humans last. He, in a sense, appointed us to be kind of like his 'representatives' on the earth. He appointed us to be 'rulers' over animals, plants, and all living things. But by doing so, he was also giving us the responsibility to look after all these things. Almost every time that God created something, (land, sea etc), he ends with the phrase "and God saw that it was good." He was happy with his creation, and hence by appointing us as 'rulers' he expects us to look after his creation.
And so, we humans have an obligation to take care of the environment, and doing what we can to minimise pollution and global warming is one way in which we can do this.
