No new coal or gas – care for creation

Australia is the world’s largest exporter of Liquified Natural Gas and the third largest exporter of fossil fuels overall. Yet, still more new coal and gas mines are going ahead, fuelling climate change.

Weather extremes in our part of the world like floods, extreme heat and fires are worsening. The island homelands of people in the Torres Strait and Pacific are increasingly under threat. And vulnerable species with whom we share this planet are pushed further to the brink.

The Australian government pledged to try to stop global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. Expansion of the fossil fuel industry is not consistent with this promise. The vast majority of fossil fuel reserved need to stay in the ground.

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPCB) Act, the main federal law to protect the environment, does not currently include climate change as a key consideration. But the Act is being reviewed and can be strengthened to enable a stronger response to the climate crisis.

The Uniting Church in Australia believes that God’s will for the earth is renewal and reconciliation, not destruction by human beings. God, as the Creator of the universe, calls humanity into a relationship of mutuality and interdependence with the creation. The Church is particularly concerned about human-induced climate change, especially the impacts on vulnerable communities.

At South Sydney Church, we strive to care for God’s creation. We seek to listen closely for and to the vulnerabilities, needs and strengths of people, living things and the earth itself, and make ourselves available to respond, including through advocacy.

We are deeply concerned about the continued expansion of fossil fuel mining and ask our local MP, Environment Minister the Hon. Tanya Plibersek, to please:

• Pause approvals of new coal and gas projects until the review of the EPBC Act is completed.
• Make curbing global warming one of the objects of the Act.
• Ensure that the assessment of fossil fuel projects includes consideration of the full climate impacts across the life cycle of the project.
• Provide full transparency to the community on the progress of the review of the EPBC Act.