Environment

New Zealand Christian Network (visionnetwork) jointly co-ordinated a Clearing the Air climate change forum at Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland, 16-17 July 2010. Following are some short audio extracts from presentations given at the forum:

Professor Jonathan Boston, Director of the Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University, The political economy of mitigating climate change, Part I. Professor Jonathan Boston, Part II
Professor Jonathan Boston, Part III
Barry Brills, President, NZ Climate Science Coalition, Climate Change: What's the Problem, Part I. Barry Brills, Part II Barry Brills, Part III


Dr James Renwick, Principal climate scientist, NIWA, Climate change: The scientific base, Part I.

Dr James Renwick, Part II
Dr James Renwick, Part III

Ian Wishart, Editor, Investigate magazine; Author: "Air Con", Climate Change: The Great Deception, Part I. Ian Wishart, Part II
Ian Wishart, Part III
Panel discussion

Copenhagen climate summit - a Kairos moment
November 20, 2009

Now is the favourable time
2 Corinthians 6:2

Many people of faith and good-will are conscious that the world is perched on the brink of a Kairos moment - a moment of significance that has the potential to alter the future of this planet on which we find our home.

As governments and communities prepare for the Copenhagen climate summit in December, we as New Zealand Church Leaders are urging bold action by our government and all world decision makers. We also urge that members of our own communities again take time to learn about climate change, reflect on our own lifestyles and take the necessary actions to protect the environment for current and future generations.

A Kairos moment in scripture is a moment of opportunity, of grace and of truth. Many people may be aware of it through the 1985 statement of South African theologians, who called on their country not to allow the moment to slip by: Jesus wept over Jerusalem. He wept over the tragedy of the destruction of the city and the massacre of the people that was imminent, "and all because you did not recognize your opportunity (KAIROS) when God offered it" (Luke 19:44).

As Church Leaders, we have spoken out for several years in our different congregations on the significant impact climate change is having and will continue to have, particularly on the most poor and vulnerable members of our global...

Organisers of the Clearing the Air forum held at Unitec in Auckland (16-17 July 2010) were pleased with the forum and the outcomes.

Dr Jonathan Leaver, a lecturer at Unitec, said 'the simple fact of academia and the Church collaborating on such an important topic as climate change was itself a significant outcome'.

New Zealand Christian Network (visionnetwork) partnered with Unitec to organise a line-up of speakers described by Archbishop David Moxon in his closing summary as 'truly world-class'. Glyn Carpenter from NZ Christian Network said 'there will always be more evidence and argument that could have been presented. But within the time constraint of two half-day sessions, I think most would agree we covered a lot of important ground'.

For a full summary of the forum, including abstracts of the papers presented, click on the link below.

It was originally intended that church leaders attending the conference would draft a position statement on climate change. However, in view that they had previously issued a statement in November 2009, it was decided that a further statement was not needed. The November statement, Copenhagen climate summit - a Kairos moment, can be read here.

To download this paper by Professor Jonathan Boston, click on the link below.

Many people have heard one side of this issue without the chance to properly assess the other side. That's why July's Clearing the Air forum has been organised.
This forum is being convened by Glyn Carpenter, National Director, New Zealand Christian Network (visionnetwork), and Associate Professor Jonathan Leaver, Unitec Institute of Technology, and brings together those who sit on either side of the climate-change debate.
The forum will present well-known speakers, such as Ian Wishart (author of Air Con), Jonathan Boston (Director of the Institute of Policy Studies, Victoria University), Ralph Sims (Director, Centre for Energy Research, Massey University), and others who are also experts in their fields. Topics will include Epistemology; Creation mandate; What position can be reasonably supported by the science; and What can and should we do? Church leaders attending the forum will draft a position statement on the issue. The event is open to pastors, students, and other interested parties. The forum starts on Friday afternoon 16 July and continues on Saturday morning 17 July. Click here to register.
Click on the attachment below for the programme.

For a copy of the Clearing the Air Forum programme, click on the document title below.

The following is a compilation of responses from three Dunedin people to the original posting, Climate Change and the Gospel.

From Greg Hughson:
Monday 12 October, 2009
My name is Greg Hughson. I have a Masters degree in Biological Science and a Bachelor of Divinity degree with Distinction in Practical Theology. I am an ordained Methodist Minister. I am Moderator for the EIDTS Licentiate of Theology Creation Spirituality Paper. I have been Ecumenical Chaplain at Otago University since 2000. Earlier this year I helped organise Walk for the Planet see http://www.walk4theplanet.org.nz/ (Walk for the Planet was an opportunity for people during Lent to express concern for the well-being of planet Earth, and to share hope for the future.)
Saturday 24 October will be an international day of Global action and awareness-raising in relation to climate change issues. Here in Dunedin, local Churches are being invited to ring our Church bells (if we have them) 350 times on that day to draw attention to the need to reduce the Carbon dioxide concentration in our planet's atmosphere down to a "safe" level of 350 parts per million . (It is currently 389ppm and rising) Please see www.350.org.nz for further information. Bill McKibben, a Christian (Methodist) Sunday School teacher, journalist and writer is one of the initiators...

New Zealand Archbishop David Moxon told an international press conference that the Anglican Communion should offer "moral leadership" in the campaign against global warming. Archbishop Moxon made the comments in Alexandria, Egypt, during a February meeting of the Anglican primates of the 34 Anglican provinces that make up the worldwide Anglican Communion. He had earlier led a special session on the impact of global warming on the environment. He was supported in his 90-minute address by Archbishop Paul Sarkar of Bangladesh, a country which faces dire consequences if sea levels rise. Archbishop Moxon later told a press conference that the gathered Anglican leaders were agreed that the Anglican Communion should offer "moral leadership" in the campaign against climate change. This, he suggested, was significantly a matter of setting an example. He spoke of the need for Anglicans to embrace lifestyle changes, and to cut back unnecessary or environmentally hazardous modes of travel. He also spoke of the need for Anglican leaders to encourage what he called "eco-friendly congregations and environmental projects". Archbishop Moxon told the media that the primates believed the church has a "Biblical, theological and practical role to play in every community" on the issue.
Anglicans needed to do what they could to prevent carbon emissions, and the "overcooking or choking of the planet". Such efforts, he said, should be seen as "an act of participation in God's creation and...

Glyn Carpenter, national director Visionnetwork, MA (Theol and Couns)
To mark this year's day of global action to raise awareness of climate change issues, several Dunedin churches co-ordinated a special bell-ringing session. This event led to a significant discussion among local ministers/pastors about climate change, scientific authority, and the gospel, which the people involved have volunteered to post below so others like yourself can join in.
Discussion rules - be respectful, address issues and arguments not people.  Please include name, job, relevant experience in the opening sentence.
Glyn

For a compilation of responses to this article, click here.

The following comes to you as one of a series of papers drawing from the chapters of the recently published Vision Congress ‘08 book New Vision New Zealand Volume III.
I am drafting these for use in the Baptist pastors clusters, New Zealand wide.
I have obtained permission for this from Vision Network.
They are freely available for use in other contexts also.
Lindsay Jones
Baptist National Consultant
2009 You will need to obtain a copy of the book to read the whole chapter for background.
Baptist churches can do so at a subsidised rate through This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Otherwise: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it The indented words in italics below are direct quotes from the chapter. New Vision NEW ZEALAND Volume III (2008) Chapter 10 pgs 139-148 by Richard Storey and Nicola Hoggard Creegan 'Each month New Zealanders dispose of enough rubbish to fill a rugby field to 30 storeys high!' We live in a consumer society. Christians participate in this consumption as much as anyone. Is there a biblical responsibility with regard to consumerism and care for the earth? The degraded state of our natural environment today is primarily a result of the greed, selfishness and ignorance that are basic to human nature. However, in the western world a poor theology regarding the value of God's...