Environmental Stewardship
Some of us might argue… “why care about the environment, humans have dominion…”
But there is a difference between dominion and stewardship. The earth has been entrusted to us to care for, not to mention that it sustains the life that God created and loves.
While we aren’t going to pretend to be scientists, the fact is, there have never been more floods, more cyclones, more droughts, more earthquakes… and how we live and the waste we create is undoubtedly having an effect on our planet and ecosystems are under pressure in a way history hasn’t yet seen.
Aside from having air to breathe, not caring for our environment affects our health – Not only through having water to drink, but also though loss of biodiversity that could provide us with real solutions to our world’s sicknesses. New antibiotics… new treatments… even cures are all being lost with the extermination of the natural world.
It affects where we live – Not having good sanitation – toilets & sewerage systems etc. – means we're getting sick. Globally, diarrhoea is the leading cause of illness and death… and 88% of diarrhoeal deaths are beacuse people don't have access to sanitation facilities, or safe water.
It affects whether we have enough food – "Of the 7,000 species of plants that have been domesticated over the 10,000-year history of agriculture, only 30 account for the vast majority of the food we eat every day." Said UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, IBD "Relying on so few species for sustenance is a losing strategy."
This losing strategy affects us all.
And sadly, this is only the tip of the iceburg – pardon the pun. So, let’s not only do the small things like recycle. Let’s do those things, but let's also appreciate the greater picture of what’s been entrusted to us... Let's take responsibility for the affect we’re having on our habitat. Both for us today, and for generations to come.
