In 2006 the LCA joined other religious bodies in Australia in developing ‘A Common Belief: Australia's Religions United on Climate’. At the time LCA pastor Fred Veerhuis stated, ‘The church recognises that the possibility of unchecked climate change causing irreparable damage to our planet and placing the survival of human life on earth at risk makes the issue of climate change one of the most important moral issues facing humanity’.

In 2009 the World Bank symposium in France reported on how urban communities across the globe were addressing climate change, the most urgent issue that humanity currently faces. Most apparent was that the poor and the weak are the ones who will suffer the most as their capacity to adapt is much less. The human suffering related to climate change is just emerging: Bangladeshis living on the deltas are being forced to migrate to the cities inland; Somalis are suffering the worst drought in 60 years and refugee camps in Kenya are now the size of cities; Queenslanders have lost loved ones and livelihoods in the floods. In Matthew 25 Jesus urges us to care for the least among us. We are quick to set up appeals in response to climate-related crises, but are we doing enough to address the human contributions to the causes of climate change?

Climate change is real. It has resulted from humans burning fossil fuels in ever-increasing amounts, from clearing forests to mining the minerals and nutrients (in food). We need to address our lifestyle and reduce carbon emissions urgently. We are called to be wise stewards of God’s creation – and managing the carbon stocks well is part of our calling. If every concerned Australian made the change to live as sustainably as we can, this would not bring sufficient change. Our society is primarily driven by economics. A carbon tax builds the cost of polluting the atmosphere and contributing to climate change into the price of polluting fuels and industries. As a result, users may choose to pay full price or change technology and behaviour.

Does the carbon tax go far enough? Probably not, as it excludes a number of carbon-intensive manufacturing and mining industries that employ many Australians, but it is a start at a political level nationally that should encourage much-needed local action.

Some of our schools have benefited from the solar schools program and are feeding electricity back into the grid from the solar panels on the rooftops of school buildings. That’s where the LCA could be having an impact – finding more innovative ways to show our community how to minimise carbon emissions.

Cathryn Hamilton is a member of Salisbury Lutheran Church, SA. She conducts research in urban planning and sustainable design at UniSA, is a member of the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board and recently became an adviser on environmental issues to the LCA’s Commission on Social and Bioethical Questions (CSBQ).

Tanya Wittwer recently completed her doctoral studies in homiletics. She teaches Public Health at the University of Adelaide and is a member of CSBQ.