Justice Matters: Time for wider perspectives

Our radio news seems dominated by concerns about Christmas toys being available. This has superseded the concern as to whether we can go abroad on holiday. These are actually not the height of our ambitions as Catholics! This is at a time when the Resolution Foundation suggests the Scottish child poverty rate will be 29% by 2023-24; only a tiny percentage of the developing world has been vaccinated while some excess vaccinations stored in the UK are approaching a use-by date.

Our focus is assumed by most media and by too many politicians to be selfish and narrow. (See Tricia’s reflection on attitudes to tax recently in this column (Oct 10th)). Is that because they think we mirror themselves, but of course sadly lacking their own omniscience…. Enjoyment of rhetoric seems more apparent in some than the determination to make change based on respect and listening to those in the health service, teachers, the poor, those in countries elsewhere, or the favoured scape-goat of the moment. End of rant… but it raises the question: how should we be engaging in politics? How do we support those politicians who do have good values?

It is right that we hear quite a lot about the imminent COP in Glasgow, the UN’s “Conference of the Parties” that seeks to make decisions to reduce the extent to which humankind is disrupting the climate and our Common Home. Earlier this month in China there was another COP, related to biodiversity. This is reported more rarely.

See Biodiversity as a term seems so abstract! So is the term “climate.” Both describe important aspects of the Earth: if these change they indicate the increasing or decreasing of overall wellbeing.

Biodiversity becomes real when we remember seeing its presence or its lack. It is so rare now to see a meadow of flowers with bees and butterflies; or a forest with undergrowth of all sorts of plants sustaining all kinds of creatures. Instead we too often see a monoculture of crops that sustains only one industry, for wood or food; and with a consequence of degraded soil. 

Reflect   The Universe is 13.8 Billion years old! During 99.999999999% of that time diversity has been increasing – energy became particles, particles became stars, star-dust grew into planets. Then the Earth formed simple life in single cell organisms, then creatures of all sorts. The diversity increased and increased - forming and then bringing life to the Earth - until the last 1/100,000,000 of this time (about 138 years – roughly when industrialisation began), when humans became exploitative of nature.

It is only once humans exploited the Earth for short term financial profit, or in desperate measures to sustain family life in dire need, that biodiversity has been diminished. “Development” is the peculiar term for living in an industrialised economic system that cares for profit, not well-being of the whole planet. So loss of biodiversity, climate disruption and poverty are all interwoven with ways of commerce and politics that deprioritise the common good.

The UK is now in the 10% most depleted countries, in terms of numbers of species with which we share our land.

Act    A few plants that are bee-friendly can make a real difference! I heard of a scheme where flat-topped bus-shelters in a city are planted to give oases that sustain insects and birdlife. What can we plant, where?

A recurring good theme is: enjoy the “natural world”…..  We are part of it, but a heavy-footed damaging part of it! It's not an original thought to say: Let's learn to tread lightly, for when our ways of life damage soil and biodiversity, we walk on the dreams and futures of the poor and the young and those yet unborn. Enjoying the world, seeing ourselves as a part of it, will lighten our steps.

Mike Mineter