Demonstrating care for creation by bringing our concerns about global warming to our local Federal MP

The Uniting Advocacy Team is interested in talking to Uniting Church members who want to help shape our nation’s policies on global warming in the lead up to the next Federal election. Would you be willing to gather some other church members to have a climate conversation with your local federal MP (or candidate) in the coming weeks?

The 2019 meeting of the NSW and ACT Synod resolved to develop a Synod Climate Action Strategy. As a church we agreed to:

• Reduce carbon emissions across all councils and agencies of the church
• Advocate to all levels of government to take decisive actions to reduce emissions
• Support young people in their call for action on climate change

Climate conversations fits within that second commitment.  It also fits with our concern as a church to care for the environment.  The National Church Life Survey shows that 81 percent of Uniting Church members believe that care for creation is an essential part of the mission of the church.  Getting involved in climate conversations with our Federal MPs is one way to demonstrate that concern in action.

These conversations are even more timely in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November. At this conference the world’s nations will revisit the commitments they made to reduced emissions under the Paris Agreement.

Sadly, our nation is lagging behind the commitments and actions being taken by many other nations across the world, including our major trading partners. Many climate and energy experts agree we need a purposeful transition to an economy based on renewable energy rather than fossil fuels. Many businesses and industries are already moving in this direction. This transition is necessary both to reduce the risk of severely damaging climate change and to ensure our future prosperity by taking advantage of our enormous natural advantages in renewable energy.

Our Uniting Church Assembly has also called for this transformation. The Assembly statement #BuildBackBetter: A Just Recovery Post-COVID-19 urges that:

“ ….Australian governments take the same coordinated, farsighted and science-informed approach to tackling climate change as was done for COVID 19, be leading a renewables-based economic recovery that creates jobs and delivers climate justice for all communities and our global neighbours.”

All this is why we are inviting Uniting Church members to consider being part of climate conversations with your Federal MP before the next election.  The idea is simple, we want to gather a small group of Uniting Church members in as many electorates as possible to seek a meeting with their local MP. You don’t have to be an expert on the science of climate change or energy policy. You simply have to care about the issue of climate change and be willing to share why you care, and what you want our Federal government to be doing about it, now and after the next election.

The Uniting Advocacy team will provide support and encouragement for groups to arrange and hold their meeting. We will also be offering some optional training on different aspects of meeting with an MP. Topics will include:

• – Tips on forming a group to meet you MP
• – How to secure a meeting with your MP
• – Holding an effective meeting- groups roles and what to cover
• – Framing your message (what to focus on) and dealing with objections

For more information on the Climate Conversations, contact Jon O’Brien, in the Uniting Advocacy team at joobrien@uniting.org or 0477 725 528.

The Uniting Advocacy Team