Lent starts tomorrow, and the Church of England is recommending that people give up something a little more meaningful than chocolate this year, and go on a carbon fast.
In association with Tearfund, they have drawn up 40 actions for Lent, and you can see those here (pdf) You can also sign up for a daily email.
If I’m honest, I read through the list and I see the same old things about turning down the thermostat and unplugging phone chargers, but what is good to see is the church taking the issues seriously. To give something up for Lent is something of a tradition, but it is also a spiritual discipline. It’s about working out what controls us, and breaking the power of things that we’re addicted to. In that sense, a carbon fast can serve as a prophetic statement to our unsustainably carbon addicted society.
Bishop of Liverpool James Jones said: “Traditionally people have given up things for Lent.
This year we are inviting people to join us in a carbon fast. It is the poor who are already suffering the effects of climate change. To carry on regardless of their plight is to fly in the face of Christian teaching. The tragedy is that those with the power to do something about it are least affected, whilst those who are most affected are powerless to bring about change. There’s a moral imperative on those of us who emit more than our fair share of carbon to rein in our consumption.”
The Earthbound Report 
Hi Jeremy
I’m sure you’ve posted on this before and I think I’ve asked you but I need reminding, but what’s your view on whether it’s better to not fly to a tourist dependent developing country because of environmental reasons or to fly and see some of your holiday as good for their economy? Obviously most tourist money goes to big business and airlines, but hotels have porters etc…
Cheers
Phil
Hi Phil, that’s a tricky one, and I find the whole environmental debate hardest when it seems in opposition to development. I’m not entirely against flying on holiday, but I think it’s one of those things that’s a huge privilege and should be for special occasions, rather than our usual practice. It’s considering it a right and making it a habit that needs to stop more than anything else.
As for using our holiday money to benefit locals, that’s certainly possible, but you have to be quite proactive about it. You want to support local businesses as much as you can, so you want to avoid chain hotels and restaurants. Even those are paying wages of course, but all the profits are leaving the area.
It’s also important to remember that some tourist practices are very damaging to local environments. Water tables have dropped severely in places like India and Spain, where resorts are pumping huge amounts of water for golf courses or swimming pools. Some places just don’t have enough water to sustain those kinds of things, and the local people actually suffer because the tourist’s needs are put first.
For a good exploration of this whole question of ethical holidaying, I’d recommend Leo Hickman’s book ‘Final Call’.