Walking past the kitchen waste dump

 Walking past the kitchen waste dump at St. John's in Heytesbury, I noticed a few large white discarded potatoes. A few days later, the potatoes were joined by a few brown eggs. 

I gathered up the potatoes and found them to be perfect, better than I usually buy. The eggs, I was a bit suspicious and left them to someone else. It is not my intention to condemn anyone, but the event struck me as an incident of concern. The probability is that potatoes, in fact, all food, will become more precious than gold

A recent meeting of the IPCC reported that the planet is now warmer than it has been in 125,000 years and scientists concluded that we face a dreadful future. Human-generated greenhouse gases are, without a doubt driving the extreme weather conditions.   

In addition, the crisis we must now confront is the growth of the human population and the loss of plants and animals. The planet faces a future of hunger, malnutrition, mass unemployment, a refugee crisis and ever more calamitous pandemics.

Mainstream media is having difficulty grasping the overall magnitude of the situation. The problem is compounded by ignorance and short-term self-interest. The pursuit of wealth and political interests hinders the crucial action for survival. 

It is universally believed that a pragmatic makeover would be unworkable and costly. Disinformation to protect economic activity to a sufficient scale will no doubt will be made in defence.

Millions are starving, and billions are malnourished. Population growth sparks both internal and international conflict. It, in turn, is exacerbated by climate change driven by an ever-higher global average temperature.

Recognising that many readers of this publication are tired of religion, I will try to adhere to a more realistic and robust approach to the need for communal gathering and worship. Local churches in the past served in much the same way as the internet does today. The priest would gather information and pass on techniques and skills as members shared them. 

Food supply is not guaranteed, and seeds will be scarce. Survival and not money will be the issue of the day. For peace and comfort, resident clergy will need to monitor needs and keep records of vulnerable people. It will need stoic and robust leaders; remember, Western civilisation has its roots in church life and its scriptural admonitions.