October 24 Climate Day of Action - Ottawa
by Sheryl Johnson
SCM Co-Chair
On October 24, 2009, SCMers from across Canada participated in the worldwide 350 day of Action, leading up to December’s Climate Change conference happening in Copenhagen. The main event for Canada took place on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and so a few SCMers from York and the University of Toronto made the 4.5 hour trek to Ottawa for the day.
I hadn’t been sure before going just what was meant by “350” – was it that, as humanity or as the earth we have almost come full circle (as in 360 degrees) to life as we’ve known it? While that may be true, 350 actually refers to 350 ppm, the highest “acceptable” level for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, an amount that has already been surpassed.
Time was a recurrent theme of the day. We were reminded that climate change is not a future prediction but a present reality. Predictions for the worsening conditions, such as a 6 degree rise in temperature by the end of the century if we continue at current emission levels, were cited. Those gathered spread over Parliament Hill and used our hands to be like hands of a clock, ticking towards…? During the presentations, the bells of the parliament buildings also chimed – perhaps as a reminder of the “time” being noted by the government. Will bueaurocratic and parliamentary time frames be enough to halt and reverse what’s going on? It is uncertain.
Unfortunately, although David Suzuki suggested this action, of getting 100,000 people to stand on parliament hill to demand Canada take strong action before and at Copenhagen, neither he nor 100,000 people were on the hill. Braving wind and cold, a committed few chanted, sang, danced, prayed, and listened. Speakers made links between environmentalism and various forms of oppressions from racism to colonialism to ageism as well as the multi-faceted approach for action that is needed, drawing together scientists, artists, storytellers, the media, religious communities, leaders and organizers, and many more.
Is it counterintuitive to take a gas-guzzling bus hundreds of kilometers for a few hours of protesting? Perhaps. Is it possible to continue believing in the reality of mobilization and the efficacy of protests that generally conform to the same formula, and attended by only a committed few? Perhaps, perhaps not.
However, certainly the day built connection between the SCMers who made the trek – as any 9 hour bus trek or day-long intensive experience will do – and allowed for reconnection to a number of senior friends and committed activists of faith whom we encountered in Ottawa.
Who can really say what is effective or not? I believe that in whatever happens, each piece of the work towards it will have been of value and celebrated by God as just and holy work. So, while the “effect” of this day of action remains unknown, it is still right to have made our effort and joined in this movement that has been taking place for decades in so very many places around the globe.
Here is a prayer I wrote as I held the October 24 protests in my mind in the days leading up to it:
Creator and Creating God,
We gather as Christians committed to
following your call for deep justice,
Amidst so many people who also desire justice
for your people and your creation.
Yet we also are aware of the immensity of the task before us,
The complicity of our church
in acts and attitudes of empire and dominion.
The catastrophic impacts of climate change,
Moving from prophetic prediction to newspaper reality.
Allow our faith to be fertile sustenance for our commitment,
Intertwining our work with that of generations before us,
And a global community moving faith into action,
And reminding us to hold one another closely this day,
and in the days to follow
Amidst this groundswell of diverse peoples
doing this just, holy work.
Amen.
