Atheism and Christmas
are uncomfortable bedfellows, but in one sense the latter is about values
important to combatting climate change.
A powerful sense of family and community emerges from the
annual Christian celebration, both of which will be critical as abatement becomes
increasingly important.
Maybe Christmas has some positive attributes, but in an
energy sense it is incredibly expensive with most of the food scoffed down
being the product of fossil fuels, and the supporting infrastructure, travel,
toys, gadgets, and the hierarchy of buildings all being energy intensive.
So although we all need to enjoy Christmas, whatever our
views on the annual moment are, we do need to be conscious that it is integral
to a lifestyle that is worsening climate change.
-
Robert McLean.
