Climate Crisis Christmas in Australia

Sydney Australia

See amid the winter's snow,
born for us on earth below,
see, the tender Lamb appears,
promised from eternal years.
Hail, thou ever-blessed morn;
hail, redemption's happy dawn;
sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.

Many of our Christmas hymns are European in origin which means that much is made of conditions which don't really reflect the Nativity, nor the realities of countries along the equator and in the Southern Hemisphere. Our history of colonialism meant that the hymns were exported regardless of those realities.

Christmas falls during  Summer in Australia, and the recent solstice was what Canadians will experience next June. Except that this year Summer has meant exceptionally high temperatures -- one day the average for the entire continent was above 40C for the first time -- along with raging wildfires. The city of Sydney which is renowned for its clear blue skiest has been under a pall of smoke for weeks now. The destruction of habitat for koalas and the death of these unique creatures is a tragedy. In some areas birds are dropping from trees, dying from the heat rather than fire. I read an interview with a veterinarian who was lamenting the destruction of herds of prize-winning cattle because ranchers can no longer find feed. It's now estimated that 500 million creatures have perished in four months. 



Dead Cockatoos in the Australian Outback

It is an apocalyptic scenario, more like the more ominous passages in Revelation than the birth narratives in Luke and Matthew. How can Australians celebrate anything in the midst of such devastation? 

It does seem that the climate crisis denying government is finally recognizing the threat, although the prime minister did head off for a Hawaiian vacation in the midst of the conflagration. 

It's important to pray for those who are working in highly dangerous situations as they fight these fires, and for those who are losing homes and ranches. We can remember the countless creatures which have perished or lost habitat. And a big thank you to Canadian firefighters who gave up a Christmas at home to assist in the midst of this horror. 

We need to acknowledge that even though what is occurring in Australia may seem to be safely on the other side of the world, there is only one planet for us all. The God who came to us incarnationally, as the infant Christ, directs us to care for the Earth, wherever we may be.