Situated on the north bank of the river Tyne, the centrepiece of the Swirle Pavillion is a large multi-toned ochre coloured globe which is suspended inside a steel framework. It looks uncannily like the illustration of an atom from an old discarded school textbook, depicting the nucleus surrounded by the paths of electrons. But what really struck me when I saw it was its resemblance to a globe on fire; more specifically I made the link in my mind to our planet being threatened by the global heating of the climate crisis.

Looking at the image again after COP 26 the steel lattice seems like an imprisoning cage representing the hard-line economic protectionist attitudes and woefully short-term thinking that bedevilled the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. Breaking through this cage to set the earth free from the perils of exceeding 1.5 degrees C of warming is such a daunting task.

A piece of climate-inspired unofficial public art on the roadside parapet of a railway bridge in Leeds gets to the heart of the matter. The climate is changing! Why are’t we?

From a geological perspective change is a natural and normative feature of the processes on planet earth and is to be expected. Consequently in the natural world the ability of species to adapt to changes in their environment is fundamental to survival and is integral to evolutionary biology. Human induced climate change however represents a clear and present danger to the earth’s entire marine and terrestrial ecosystems and hence to the fundamental biological, political and economic security of every nation upon earth. Land which was once habitable becomes inhospitable. Land which was once productive becomes barren. The very fabric of life on earth is being torn apart, compromised and pushed to its absolute limits - and beyond.

When the problem is global and its impact is of this magnitude adaptation is not an option, especially if you are an islander in the Pacific, a coastal dweller in Bangladesh or a villager in sub-saharan Africa, where populations are becoming displaced as food insecurity and water shortages blight everyday life. As ever the developing nations are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Somewhat belatedly, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, such as those leading to exceptional flooding or extended heatwaves, have pushed the rich nations to contemplate change and to commit to decarbonising their economies. Alas, even after COP26 it is still all too little and too late. A tragic cop out. So what can we do?

The mantra of prosperity and profit which drives every developed economy from capitalist USA to communist China, and the vested interests of the elite’s who make billions from fossil fuels, are like an imprisoning cage around the world, condemning us all to a terrifying future. The image conveys the strength of these attitudes and their resistance to change.

But there is another way, a greener way, whereby the steel lattice work comes to represent a set of values and sustainable practices which seek to protect the earth and keep its people’s from harm. Here the emphasis is on collaboration and a revolution in economic thinking to facilitate a green agenda which delivers the greatest good for the whole planet. This is a vision of true prosperity, measured not in terms of money or GDP but of the wellbeing and flourishing of all life.

In this it is entirely biblical. The creation poetry of Genesis and the prophetically inspired holistic visions of Isaiah give us a strong sense of the inherent worth of all life and of the divine imperative for us to tend to the whole as a gift from God, a gift of life set in the cosmos which is valued in its entirety by God. It is this vision and this calling which now needs to drive us on to pressure governments, legislators and decision makers worldwide to change course before it is too late. As a group made up of tens of millions of followers worldwide, people of faith are capable of both exerting massive pressure and influence globally and of being change makers ourselves, as we adopt green strategies in our own daily lives.

Our electric car, solar panels and battery were not cheap. We deliberately chose to invest in the planet. Our switch to a renewable energy supplier and to a predominantly plant-based diet were essentially no-cost options. We choose to cast our vote for politicians who have the greenest policies. All of this is framed from a very simple faith perspective: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1). This being so, how can we do otherwise than to value and protect that which God has given?