bell tolls for Earth Overshoot Day
Join us this year to mark Earth Overshoot Day: www.overshootday.org
It is the day when humanity’s demands for ecological resources (fish, forests, fresh water etc), exceeds what the Earth can renew in a year.
It is driven by our attitudes and disconnect towards the Earth, our common home. We are collectively over consuming and over-exploiting our resources.
Last October the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that we have just 12 years to avoid catastrophic climate. In May, another United Nations report suggested we are heading towards the extinction of one million species.
Climate change and biodiversity loss are the tragic warning signs of our broken relationship with God’s Creation, of our loss of understanding our interrelationship with all living things.
And Australians are some of the biggest contributors. If everyone behaved like us, humanity would consume the equivalent of 5.2 earths a year.
As Christians, we want to mark this event, to raise it in the public consciousness and create a call for transformation.
Ultimately, as both Pope Francis and Rowan Williams have said, we need an “ecological conversion.”
Action:
- Toll - your Church bells from 11.48am, for the 12 minutes until midday, on Monday 29th
- Pray - for people to see the ecological crises in our midst and for “ecological ”
- Tell - others in the community why you are doing this, through your local media, Church news, and online.
- Act - as Christians we need to examine and commit to how we Live the Change that we proclaim in the
The tolling bells presage the death knell for Earth, its creatures and ecosystems, if we do not repent, and continue down this destructive path. The 12 minutes to midday mark the 12 years that the IPCC has foreshadowed as a critical tipping point to irreversible and catastrophic climatic changes.
How you can participate:
- Join in - If you are interested in participating, let us know: [email protected]
- Organise locally - ask other churches in your local area, if they will join yo
By the Monday 22nd July we will create a fact / information sheet, a draft media release, collate a short liturgy & prayers, and some social media images for you to use. And we are also here to help if you want some guidance in how to engage with the local media. You are also welcome to take the action and shape it how you think it will work in your community.
We would also welcome ideas and participation in pulling this together! If you sign up, organisers can add your details / logo.