Churches mobilize to combat global warming

The National Council of Churches in India, the country's largest coordinating body of Protestant and Orthodox churches has joined hands to fight against global warming and to turn green, by mobilising Christians to spread awareness among youths and people.

The exhortation was given during a closing sermon of the once–every–four years Quadrennial Assembly, which was held this month, in Shillong.

"We urge all member churches to initiate on war footing green parish programmes, plastic–free church campuses, biological farming,” exhorted the closing sermon.

Ecumenical News International (ENI) quoted Methodist Bishop Taranath S. Sagar saying, “We may not be as much a party to global warming as the developed world. But, we too are contributing our part to it." Bishop Sagar was elected as the new president of the NCCI, for a four–year term.

"It's time for the churches in India to take up environmental issues seriously," continued Bishop Sagar, who was speaking at a press conference in Bangalore.

Sagar told ENI, "Though the churches stand united at national level, this unity is not reflected in action at regional or local level. Our challenge is to foster greater collaboration and unity at local congregation level."

Avowing the threat global warming can have against the nature, the members termed it a "human sin" and said Christians have a duty "to make our presence a healing and transforming one".

The NCCI council, to achieve the goal has urged to promote an effective "greening of faith" at the congregational level.

Global warming and environment concerns were one of the five themes discussed at the Quadrennial Assembly attended by over 270 delegates from across the country.

India, the world's second most populous country, will be the biggest loser from global warming, losing millions of tones of its potential cereal harvest each year because of climate change, a recently released study asserted.

Last month, at a two–day national conference on Climate Change and the Role of Law, Bar Association of India (BAI) general secretary Bhasin said, "The rule of law is being threatened by the catastrophic changes" being caused by global warming.

"As the sea level rises (due to global warming), there will be mass exodus from the coastal regions. That will affect peace and security on a global basis.”

Bhasin said BAI appealed to the international community to enforce "certain basic principles that are mandatory for all countries."