Faced with the scale of environmental problems (climate change, the collapse of biodiversity, the depletion of resources…), I am often asked: “But what can I do? The problems are so huge that I feel powerless.”
The first answer that springs to mind for many people is to do more ‘small things’. A Rocha has even created a flyer that you can download and stick on your fridge, which lists lots of them. These actions do matter, but their impact remains limited at a national level, and even more so on a global scale.
How can we respond effectively to the environmental crisis?
We are not the only ones asking this question. The Swiss Christian philosopher Dominic Roser has devoted a recent study to it on the website of Christians for Impact, a network of Christians involved in the Effective Altruism (EA) movement, a philosophical and social movement that seeks to maximise the positive impact of our actions on the world. There is much to be said about this movement, but according to Dominic Roser, the three most effective ways to tackle global warming are:
- Praying and learning about environmental issues from a Christian perspective (A Rocha offers both).
- Changing careers to devote themselves entirely to this challenge, as the members of the A Rocha team have done.
- Keeping your job (not everyone can change jobs), but committing to donating a significant portion of your income to support organisations working to preserve a liveable world. For example, there is a pledge to donate 10 per cent of one’s income, proposed by secular organisations such as Giving What We Can. This is a personal commitment: everyone is free to choose the causes and organisations they wish to support.
The impact of donations to organisations committed to a cause
This last point is worth considering. According to the Effective Altruism website, a donation to an organisation tackling climate change reduces CO₂ emissions far more effectively than many individual actions. I do not agree with all the actions listed here (starting with the first one), but this graph provides some illuminating figures of magnitude.
In the interests of transparency, it should be noted that A Rocha is not among the organisations listed by the AE, and that Dominic Roser, who cites us several times in his study, does not present it as an organisation to be supported as a priority. This is partly because biodiversity conservation is a blind spot for the AE. But our work is not limited to this: we also work on climate issues and, more broadly, to preserve the Earth as a habitable place for all. Furthermore, we have a distinctive focus: supporting Christians and churches so that they understand environmental issues, pray and take practical action, drawing on their faith. These are actions whose effectiveness is, by its very nature, difficult to quantify.
As the end of the year approaches, if you are able, why not make a one-off donation?
Better still, commit to giving regularly to A Rocha. Setting up a regular donation is easy and takes just a few minutes.
It is a wonderful way to help preserve the magnificent creation that God has entrusted to us, and a practical answer to the question posed at the start: what can I do in the face of the ecological emergency? Giving is taking action, with a very real impact.
