Like other thinking people, Quakers are concerned about the impact that runaway wasteful and greedy activity of humans is having on our living world. We are very exercised by the threats posed by climate change.
This damage effects all living organisms. They also have a huge impact on humans. A peaceful world, equality between peoples, living in integrity and the benefits of community move further out of reach as the environment deteriorates.
We are bombarded with belief in continuous growth and the power of wealth. Fear of all sorts is promoted by our politics. These stifle human willingness to change our tastes and our behaviours.
Quaker John Woolman (1720-1772) reminded us that "the produce of the Earth is a gift from our gracious Creator to the inhabitants, and to impoverish the Earth now to support outward greatness appears to be an injury to the succeeding age."
Quakers strive to meet these challenges. Like many others we easily feel overwhelmed by the facts, the science and social inertia. We try to find a contribution that embodies our spiritual concerns and our Quaker commitments and will help progress social and economic change.
We look for positive, life-affirming contributions we can make. We are still struggling with this and seek to develop more to offer others and to expand our own thinking, especially as we know the urgency of the need.
Recently Australia Yearly Meeting agreed to include Earthcare as one of our fundamental policies. For more information see the Quaker Earthcare Committee.