[Church of North India (United)] Mr Alwan Masih, General Secretary of the Church of North India (United), has issued the following message on the environment and care for creation.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It was an honor for me to join in observing the World Environment Day on 5th June 2015 by planting a sapling in the premises of the [Church of North India (United) offices] CNI Bhavan which was more of a symbolic act to increase green cover on earth which may lead to protect nature and the planet earth from the perilous climate changes that are deteriorating the environment gradually causing adverse effects on all living beings.

The unanticipated rise in the temperature of the day hovering above 45 degree Celsius during this summer in the capital city of Delhi, while exceeding 47 degrees in certain other parts of India, gave yet another indication that not just Delhi, but the entire country is facing a major climate change. Also, the similar increase in the temperatures across the globe are causing the planet to heat up tremendously, which in turn is affecting almost everything from collapsing of coral reef ecosystems below the sea to melting of glaciers at the top of the mountains….all these are drastic signs of climate change.

This year’s theme “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care” by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) comes from the fact that we are extracting more resources to produce goods and services than our planet can actually replenish. It highlights our responsibility to protect and care for the nature-God’s most magnificent and awe-inspiring gift to mankind. It is a high time for all of us to initiate appropriate initiatives towards sustaining a ‘greener, healthier and brighter’ tomorrow.

Pope Francis’ first encyclical is focused on the idea of ‘integral ecology’, connecting care of the natural world with justice for the poorest and most vulnerable people. Pope Francis, in his address to “every person living on this planet”, has made it clear that he hopes the encyclical will influence energy and economic policy and stir a global movement. It’s a stinging indictment of “developed, industrialized countries”, who, the Pope says, are “responsible for unprecedented destruction of ecosystems, with serious consequence for all of us”. The encyclical is a sweeping call to developed countries to take “swift corrective action and help poorer nations confront the crisis”.

According to the Commission co-chair Professor Anthony Costello, Director of the University College London (UCL) Institute for Global Health, UK, “Climate change has the potential to reverse the health gains from economic development that have been made in recent decades… However, our analysis shows that by tackling climate change, we can also benefit health, and tackling climate change in fact represents one of the greatest opportunities to benefit human health for generations to come.”

God’s creation is all around us……..it is present everywhere: in the fragrance of the flowers, the chirping of birds, the soothing lush greenies...in everything we see, feel or hear, and that portraits His amazing and magnificent work. God has magnificently created the garden ‘Earth’ for us to live in it with a responsibility to even care for it. He has given us the responsibility to ‘subdue’ and ‘rule’ over the earth. God entrusted us with the care of his creation and we have the responsibility to be good stewards of His creation. There is a need to raise the environmental consciousness in regard to the consequences of global warming. Also, there is a need to promote awareness and implement actions at individual, church, community, and national levels.

 There is an immense need to rise and make a start and commit ourselves selflessly towards caring of this beautiful creation of God. Furthermore, there is a need to be inclusive in our love and compassion as God himself extends his love to all and beyond the human species and relentlessly respect, protect, preserve our environment.

Yes, we all together can make a tremendous difference, as every drop in the ocean counts. Let us join together and promise ourselves that we will put in all efforts to protect the beautiful creation of God in all possible ways, and shall strive to make our ‘mother earth’ beautiful as ever and help restore God's beautiful possession.

With prayerful wishes,

Yours in His Mission.

Alwan Masih

General Secretary, CNI Synod