NOVEMBER 2024
WORKING TOWARDS A TRULY JUST, HEALTHY AND PEACEFUL WORLD
TREES
PLANT
LOVE
TREES, FORESTS, GRASSLANDS AND OTHER ECOSYSTEMS HELP TO:
A global Anglican movement to plant more trees is taking root in Canada BY JANICE BIEHN, PWRDF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING COORDINATOR
“T
o strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth;” Thus says the fifth Mark of Mission of the Anglican Communion. Originally, there were only four Marks of Mission, but in 1984, the fifth mark was added, with this note from the Anglican Consultative Council: “We now feel that our understanding of the ecological crisis, and indeed of the threats to the unity of all creation, mean that we have to add a fifth affirmation.” That was 40 years ago. While humankind may have made some progress in responding to the ecological crisis over the last four decades, it could also be argued that the impact of climate change has exponentially outpaced any of that progress. In 2022, at the Lambeth Conference of Anglican Primates and Bishops from around the world, the Anglican Communion responded anew with the launch of the Communion Forest. The idea first took root in late 2019, when an Anglican Communion eco-group (comprised of ‘Eco-Bishops’, the Anglican Communion Environmental Network, Christian Aid, the Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations and the Anglican Alliance) suggested a “Lambeth Forest”. The Communion Forest was inspired by the extensive creation care work that was already happening across the Communion. This worldwide initiative focuses on planting trees where there was no tree cover before, known as afforestation, as well
as other practical greening initiatives. “The environmental crisis is an existential threat to millions of people and species of plants and animals across the globe,” as noted at CommunionForest.org. Drought, rising sea levels, catastrophic flooding and wildfires can all lead to death and destruction of habitats and cherished homes. “They devastate livelihoods, cause food shortages, force migration, disrupt communities and break up families. The impacts of the crisis are costly, both financially and in terms of the trauma they create.” In Canada, the effects of climate change can be especially seen in the notable increase of wildfires from coast to coast to coast. In 2023, the Global Forest Watch initiative found that the loss of hectares due to wildfires in Canada increased by six times the annual average since 2001. Globally, forest fires are burning nearly twice as much tree cover today as they did 20 years ago. Hotter temperatures during
the summer and overall decreases in snow and rainfall combine to create the perfect super-dry conditions for wildfires to start and spread. Wildfires are surpassing air travel as a source of CO2 emissions, and the massive loss of trees also exacerbates the environmental impact. In the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, profound human suffering and social inequality, the Communion Forest aims to significantly increase the number of Anglican-based activities that support tree-growing and ecosystem conservation, protection and restoration around the world, and to deepen care for creation within the life of the Church and its members. It is a practical, spiritual and symbolic response to the environmental crisis, and an act of Christian hope for the well-being of humanity and all of God’s creation. It is also a powerful signal that we need to take climate action together to make a difference. When you push that shovel into the ground to make way for a seedling or sapling, thousands of other Anglicans are doing the same thing. A key part of the Communion Forest is to share tree-planting and other greening initiatives spear-headed by Anglicans in Canada. Read about PWRDF’s Education Resource on page 2 to learn more.
www.pwrdf.org
• stabilize the climate • protect from flooding • sequester carbon (remove it from the atmosphere) • sustain biodiversity • generate food and livelihoods for communities across the world
By caring for trees we are mirroring God’s love of creation and are living out the call to Adam in Genesis 2 to have a watching protection and seek to preserve God’s gift.