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'Our Neighbours live in the next generation'
The War Cry invited a number of people to consider the values of hope, trust and respect, and their place in society. TONY JUNIPER, executive director of Friends of the Earth writes about respect...
RESPECT is most often nurtured at close range. Polite behaviour on the bus or in the shopping queue, good table manners and deference to our elders and betters are all quite familiar respectful acts. Less often do we think about respect at greater distance - either in time or space.
As our small planet's capacity to support life is stretched towards breaking point by the demands of it's people, it is clear that we will soon need to learn about different kinds of respect, and reflect that learning in how we live our lives and develop our society.
The earth is today poised on the brink of a catastrophic climatic change. The global warming that is responsible for this is caused by pollution from cars, factories and power stations.
Most of our gases that are warming up the world have come from only a tiny minority of mostly rich countries. Yet the impact of climate change will be felt most in poorer parts of the world. Poverty makes people more vulnerable to disasters and the extreme weather events that are already being generated by climate change are disproportionately hurting the poor.
Acts of respect to the struggling farmers of the developing world whose crops have failed because of drought, or whose homes have been swept away in floods, should not only be seen in donations to emergency appeals, but also embodied in efforts to save energy and in doing so reduce the climate changing pollution that is already causing so much damage. Is it really right for us to choose gas-guzzling cars or to waste energy in our homes while people elsewhere experience terrible impacts on their way of life?
Similarly with the fabric of life on Earth. The mind-boggling variety of species and natural habitats that have taken billions of years to evolve are being wiped out because of our insatiable appetite for so called cheap products. Rainforests felled, coral reefs polluted, fisheries plundered, to stock our supermarkets with products that we take for granted.
What about out grand-children? Will they be able to see wild parrots, swim in clean, thriving seas or benefits as we have from nature's great storehouse of genetic knowledge? Taking active steps now to protect the needs of future generations is another kind of respect that we need to learn pretty quickly.
Surely if you knowingly passed on some deadly material to your neighbour, you would expect some form of rebuke. Such disrespect would never be tolerated. Yet in our continuing production of nuclear waste in atomic power stations - let alone the deadly legacy of nuclear weapons proliferation - that is exactly what we are doing. The neighbours may not live next door, but they will liive in the next generation. We need to respect their needs and wishes as much as we would the people who live in our own street today.
Out of sight and out of mind - exactly the thinking behind our use of nuclear power - is hardly a respectful basis for an energy policy. Although we have no solution agreed as to what to do with radioactive waste materials which will remain deadly for more then 2000,000 years, we continue to produce more of it. Instead of saving energy, we are confronted with proposals to build more hugely expensive nuclear stations.
The twisted logic that underpins modern international relations also perpetuates and deepens disrespect. We often justify the economic policies that are leading to ecological decline because we expect the 'growth' generated to improve human wellbeing. But in many places that logic is deeply flawed.
As natural resources are exported from developing countries to feed the consumer markets of richer countries, people who depend on nature for their day-to-day survival are left destitute. Forest-dwelling communities have nowhere to live , gather fruit or hunt. Fishing communities who find no fish have no income. When you buy some cut-price garden furniture made from rainforest timber, or some fish that once lived in tropical sea, spare a moment to consider the real cost.
Modest, thoughtful changes to the way we live could lead to a new form of global ecological respect. You can show true respect for people and the environment in small ways by recycling, buying locally produced goods, choosing fairly traded goods, using your bike or energy efficient appliances or supporting Friends of the Earth's campaign 'the Big Ask', which is calling on the UK Government to show respect for the environment by doing something today about climate change. Visit www.thebigask.com
Nurturing and protecting our Earth is perhaps the most respectful act that our generation can make. If our society can gain the values of ecological respect in time, then all of us, from all parts of the world, will have the chance to enjoy fulfilling lives.
Tony Juniper, Executive Director of Friends of the Earth