The Big Shift
Poverty robs people of dignity and freedom and of power over their own lives. Christian Aid holds a vision for a better future, one where everyone has the chance to flourish and live life in all its fullness.
Climate Change is the biggest threat to that future, and it’s already impacting poor communities now. In Mali, in the Dogon Plateau, for example, the rainy season has become less predictable leaving communities to cope with both droughts and flooding, causing soil erosion and land degradation.
One of the biggest causes of climate change is fossil fuels – the burning of coal, oil and gas, especially by richer countries. But the more we burn them, the more the planet warms, and the harder life becomes for people already living in poverty.
Collectively, we need to stop global temperatures rising about 2°C, otherwise experts predict far more droughts, floods and extreme weather than we have ever known.
Leave fossil fuels behind
Cassette tapes, dial up internet, three wheeled cars. These things are so behind the times that no-one would invest in them today. Christian Aid thinks fossil fuels should top this list.
Getting energy from them can be messy, expensive and in some case dangerous to the lives and livelihood of people living nearby and though we are still dependent on fossil fuels for heating, transport and powering our economy the good news is that there is a solution.
Instead of pouring money into this dirty and old-fashioned technology, that belongs in a museum, we think we should invest much greater sums in developing clean energy.
We need to shift money out of fossil fuel industries and into cleaner renewable energies.
The Big Switch
Following the historic UN deal in Paris in December, the global shift towards renewable energy has well and truly begun.
But we need to keep up the pressure on our governments to shift much further. One way we can each do this is to make the big shift ourselves in our churches and communities. It needn’t cost the earth – and if we act together, it could even be cheaper than your current tariff.
Join the Big Church Switch to clean energy today. Churches of all denominations, shapes and sizes are joining together to make a switch to 100% renewable energy. Our own actions multiplied can send a signal to governments and businesses that churches are prepared to lead the way.
We know this is not always a simple process for churches, so Christian Aid has teamed up with church procurement experts 2Buy2 and Tearfund and CAFOD to form the Big Church Switch and make it as easy as possible for your church to join in.
Collectively, we have huge buying power and are working to secure good value, clean energy tariffs.
Register your church’s interest at www.bigchurchswitch.org.uk/christian-aid
The Big Church Switch can help you decide which tariff and timeline works best for you. All you need to do is put in a few details about your church and some contact details. And if the deal isn’t right, there’s no obligation to switch.
Further Information
You can find out more here:
http://www.christianaid.org.uk/ActNow/climate-justice/resources.aspx?Page=1