‘All things bright and beautiful’, and a myriad of lovely descriptions for the creatures here below – or so the hymn goes. But when we look at today’s world, what we see is climate change, and it seems the Earth itself is only getting sicker by the year. Why is this? As we enjoy the modern comforts of technological advancement, perhaps it is us who has failed to be good stewards of God’s creation.
As the Anglican Communion championed the ‘Season of Creation’ this September, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui followed, with a day of kick-off activities at St John’s Cathedral on 7th September, open to all with the hope of promoting environmental practices that reflect Hong Kong’s current situation.
At the Li Hall that afternoon was a mini seminar with the former director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Lam Chiu Ying, and Dean Samson Fan, who is a member of the Provincial Working Group on Environmental Ministry. Despite the fact that Lam was ill and so could not be present in-person, he still participated via an online video call. A hundred attended.
Lam previously predicted that from 2020 to 2029, there won’t be a proper winter anymore in Hong Kong – the temperature won’t drop below 12°C. As it turned out, it didn’t take that long. In 2019, there was only a single day in the whole year when the temperature dropped below 12°C. The alarm was sounded for climate change’s effect on Hong Kong.
The ills of over-relying on technology
Lam put it plainly: the ancient man burnt wood for warmth, and it wasn’t until 200 years ago when we started burning coal during the Industrial Revolution. Machines started to replace human labour, and what came with it was urbanisation, international commerce, and consumerism. The last 50 years of human civilisation saw an age of abnormality, with carbon dioxide emission rates never seen in history, causing the climate change we are facing now. From mid-2023 till mid-2024, we saw the hottest year since records began, and humanity as a whole has to shoulder the consequences of civilisation.
National governments all hope to solve this problem, but they are all blinded by the worship of technology. A classic example is installing air-conditioning and heat pumps as a solution to hot weather. But as we all know now, using these machines will only consume more energy, and produce more carbon dioxide, which only exacerbates the problem in the long run. ‘In fact, all forms of modern technology consume electricity. New products manufactured with the latest chemical engineering innovations may seem to bring us new conveniences in life, but they cannot control our greed. The result is the by-product of more and more pollution.’ Lam stresses the point that technological advances cannot solve the climate problem for us – we must first solve the problem of human attitude towards the environment.
Lam also made the point that ‘environmental protection’ is not the same as ‘protecting the environment’. The former refers to protecting the environments that have already been artificially sculpted to become man-made living spaces, whereas the latter refers to protecting nature as is, which includes in it various species and natural resources, including humanity itself.
Tips on living simply
Lam expressed his interest in Christianity’s advocacy for a simple life: a life of spirituality in faith, and a life where happiness is not dependent on materialistic consumption. He continued that reducing our reliance on air-conditioning, reducing electricity usage, buying what we need rather than what we want, and buying ‘one long-lasting good quality product’ rather than ‘ten cheap but easily broken alternatives’ can not only reduce our waste, but also improve our quality of life. In his words, ‘That I try to reduce my electricity usage is not because I’m a miser, but because I don’t want to harm the billions of people around the world who are in worse living conditions. I don’t want my own actions to cause suffering for others.’ To illustrate the point, Lam then rapped, much to the excitement of the audience, a few lines from the recently released single ‘Buy Less Buy Better’, released on World Environment Day.
Lam found Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si'' a surprising read. It encompasses science, sociology, history, culture, and religion, and is worth a read for everyone. Lam is particular fond of the phrase, ‘You should hear the cries of the planet, and the cries of the poor,’ as it connects the problem of environmental damage with the rise of poverty. He agrees with the Pope that the new generation should be raised with such a morality that all creation is taken care of, and we should learn to admire the beauty of nature, and lead a responsible and simple life. By doing so, we attain peace, happiness, and contentment.
Lam also answered questions raised by the audience, for example tips on reducing the electricity bill, how long can humanity still live on Earth, how can a family with children protect the environment, and how can the church help promote environmental ministry. The Archbishop Andrew Chan responded to Lam’s sharing with a note on how Lam successfully puts what he preaches into practice, and joked how Lam could be nominated as a ‘Bishop of Environmentalism’ to the Anglican Communion, to educate Christians living with wealth and technology the ways of alleviating environmental issues.
The Earth is a gift to us all
A service for the Seasons of Creation with a Commissioning of the Green Anglican Ambassadors followed that late afternoon at St John’s Cathedral. The Archbishop Andrew Chan was the celebrant. About 150 Green Anglican Ambassadors were commissioned, drawing from various Anglican parishes, schools, and social service units, to become stewards of this Earth according to the Anglican mission of being the caretakers of God’s creation. They are tasked with spreading both the word and deed of environmental protection in their own parish, school, and social service unit.
In his sermon, Dean Samson Fan preached the reason why we should pay attention to the matter of environment. As humanity is a part of creation, and as we are all connected as creatures living here on Earth, we should not be tempted by short-tern benefits and spoil the whole of creation, hurting not just the woods and the rivers, but our fellow humans as well, especially the poor and the vulnerable. Doing so is going against the Christian ethos of loving our neighbours.
Humanity has committed many crimes against nature and God’s will, hurting each other in the process. We have over-consumed out of greed, and wasted resources that were meant for benefiting all. We have brought pollution to the world, and tainted it with the greenhouse effect, extreme weather, water shortages, acidification of soil and water, and species extinction. We have made a world that is very much different from ‘All things bright and beautiful’.
Both scripture and church tradition reminds us that humanity is fated to become the steward and guardian of creation. We are born for the sake of other creatures, and not to be their master. The Earth is a gift to all, and it requires all our effort in taking care of it. The resources of this Earth should be fairly distributed, and they demand our respect. Each creature was created with a beautiful purpose by God. They are not disposable tools for us humans to toy with.
Environmental issues are interlinked with economic, social, and cultural issues. If we were to follow God’s command in being good stewards of his creation, then we must fundamentally change our mindset and ways when it comes to our environment. As believers, and as environment ambassadors, we ought to take good care of all of God’s creation, and learn to love one another.
Sharing exhibition on environmental experiences
An exhibition was held on the same day, displaying the experience in environmental ministry from the HKSKH Welfare Council, St James’ Settlement, SKH Yautong Kei Hin Primary School, SKH Lui Ming Choi Memorial Primary School, and HKSKH Holy Spirit Church. Students from SKH Holy Carpenter Secondary School served as guides. The same exhibition was moved to be displayed at All Saints Cathedral and then Holy Trinity Cathedral from 7 to 21 September.
Those participated in the Season of Creation included the three dioceses and the Macau Missionary Area, the three cathedrals, clergy from various parishes, the Education Service, various schools, and many SKH social service organisations. As the coordinating platform between parish, school, and social service, the Provincial Working Group on Environmental Ministry works to ensure the fifth mark of mission of the Anglican Communion is upheld: to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth.
Video call with Lam Chiu Ying and Dean Samson Fan
The travelling exhibition, at St John’s, All
Saints, and Holy Trinity Cathedrals
Commissioning
of the Green Anglican Ambassadors