Missing voices for creation care
It might be easy to blame political leaders for lack of action on climate change, but the reality is more complex.
The 2023 Summer of Storms has reduced the number of climate change deniers in Canada. But support for the necessary changes to address the problem still often stops when the bill arrives. Why is it so difficult to move from words to action in Canada? Might faith communities have a unique role to play?
Public Support
It is easy to blame political leaders for lack of action on climate change, but the reality is more complex. Repeated polls show that a solid majority of voters support more action on climate change in general, but even simple actions run into public opposition that could reverse past steps. We have political barriers, not scientific or technical ones, as the well-known CBC science reporter Bob McDonald showed in his latest book.
The recent clean fuel regulations, for example, are an obvious, over-due step. Some parts of Canada have already done that. If the costs are used as a political weapon to shift votes, which now appears likely, the next government will be reluctant to take even simple steps and it will likely reverse course on several current policies. This repeats the cycle that has already wasted so much precious time. One step forward, two steps back, again and again, is not only too slow; it erodes what support there is. It will also lead to greater social conflict over time as some people bear more damaging impacts than others.
Fickle public support is higher in Canada than in some comparable countries. Why? One analyst recently pointed out the strong Presbyterian/Calvinist roots in parts of Canada for the resistance to pay any costs, even if there are long-term savings. My first impulse was to challenge his assertion by citing the strong focus on creation in that tradition. On second thought, it seems more productive to work on the potential to build more sturdy public support by rallying voices in faith communities to shift our particular political dynamic.
Human acts and God’s providence
Do I lack trust in God’s providence, another strong theme in those faith traditions? The Biblical stories of Joseph and Ruth remind me how persons taking strong actions is part of the way God works. Is it an exaggeration to compare this moment with those points in God’s redemption story? No. It is already past time to rise up and build enough public support that no political leader in this country can afford to back pedal again on care for creation.
