The world around us is so full of beauty, it is a source of inspiration and tranquillity for us. The Christian reason for looking after the world arises out of the idea if stewardship: we don’t own the world, we look after if for God. For people of any faith or no faith the idea of stewardship can bring a rational to looking after the environment, we look the world because we will pass it on to our children.

Unfortunately, greed and selfishness cause us to pollute and destroy the environment. That is true for big industry, but it is also true for us. It takes effort and sacrifice for us to look after the planet. It’s not just about simple things like reusing plastic bags, it’s about more difficult decisions such as what we eat and what we wear. Personally, I know that being vegan would be good for the environment, but I find it very hard to go that far. So, I try the lesser good, cutting down on meat, thinking about how high to set the thermostat at home, turning off electrical equipment rather than leaving it on standby, and getting places by walking as much as I can and reusing shopping bags.

My actions not going to save the planet, but perhaps if enough people make an effort it will slow global warming. I think big changes will only come if multinational companies can no longer make profits from pollution so I hope that improved and cheaper heat pumps, more energy form renewables and perhaps nuclear fusion will help us save the planet. I can see that renewable energy technology and other solutions are improving. As a person of faith, I pray that they will improve fast enough.