God is Green

I have just watched a meaningful documentary called God is Green on Channel News Asia. The show follows the host Mark Dowd on a journey that questions several of the world's major religions' stand on environmental issues like climate change.

Climate change is any long-term significant change in the average weather that a given region experiences. In recent context of environmental policy, the term "climate change" often refers to changes in modern climate due to global warming.

Increased awareness of the scientific findings surrounding global warming in recent decades has resulted in political and economic debate. Poor regions, particularly Africa, appear at greatest risk from the projected effects of global warming, while their emissions have been small compared to the developed world. At the same time, developing country exemptions from provisions of the Kyoto Protocol have been criticised by the United States and Australia, and used as part of a rationale for continued non-ratification by the US. In the Western world, the idea of human influence on climate has gained wider public acceptance in Europe than in the US.

The issue of climate change has sparked debate weighing the benefits of limiting industrial emissions of greenhouse gases against the costs that such changes would entail. There has been discussion in several countries about the cost and benefits of adopting alternative energy sources in order to reduce carbon emissions.

In the show, Mark travels the world and asks for opinions from leaders of Catholics, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, etc and it seems that the teachings of all religions point to humans' obligation and responsibility to look after our environment. Yet he bemoans their lack of urgency and action on the issue. His idea is that if spiritual leaders of the world could rally on the subject, then it would really the impact the world since most people of the world have a religion.