In the beginning, God created nature and made man its caretaker. Each component part of God's creation has an important role. Trees give shelter and capture carbon. So it is important for us to ensure that the environment is improved to care for all creation.
It is always sad to see people destroy the environment they live in: it’s time to help heal the Earth.
September 1 to October 4 is being marked as the Season of Creation, encouraging people to think and act to give the earth a jubilee – a rest from all that we do to it. So - let us think what we can do to care for Mother Earth.
Here in Zambia we have a wealth of animals – crocodiles, giraffes, elephants, monkeys, rhinos and much, much more. We have beautiful rivers and the waterfalls that attract tourists to our country. Climate change threatens all of this, which is why it is so important that during this Season of Creation, people should unite and celebrate by taking care of whatever surrounds us.
And of course, it wouldn’t make sense to take action only during this short period of the Season of Creation. We must continue that loving care.
In Zambia, some industrial companies now have limits on production, which has reduced the damage to the environment. High use of fossil fuels and toxic oils has damaged the atmosphere and our underground water tables. The lives of animals, people – nature itself – are currently threatened by droughts, floods and the poisoned atmosphere.
Taonga Tembo is the director of an organisation called Barefeet Art Zambia. Barefeet teaches vulnerable youngsters to dance and perform, and he tells me that he has trained young people to become climate ambassadors who can encourage people to care for the Earth. In the Global North, you have school children going on strike to save the planet – here young people get that message across through dance and drama.
Taonga says our mother Earth is slowly “healing” because the global COVID 19 pandemic put millions of people into self-isolation, cutting the damage we cause to nature. He wants to encourage everyone around the globe to participate in this Season of Creation, continuing to improve our common home.
In December this year, Barefeet hope to perform an extraordinary show focusing on the Season of Creation that will teach people how to care for the Earth.
And the Zambian government is currently working with the Plant A Million organisation to engage communities in environmental activities that we can all learn from.
As Christians we share a common role as caretakers of God's creation. I pray we can use this Season of Creation to think how it will be if we don’t tackle the emergency now. By 2030, we will be in severe trouble. The carbon reduction targets of 2040 and 2050 are not ambitious enough. I don’t want our elephants, crocodiles and beautiful rivers to be dead and gone in a hundred years because we didn’t grant a very big jubilee to Mother Earth now.