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THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA CALLS ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY The following resolution was passed at the Provincial Synod of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa 5.11 ENVIROMENTAL INTEGRITY This Synod noting that: 1. The Diocese of False Bay at its fourth Session of Diocesan Synod held in 2017, unanimously adopted guidelines regarding Environmental Integrity; 2. Canons 28 of Parish Councils and Canon 29 of Church Wardens include Care for the Environment amongst the functions; 3. The gravity of how modernisation, industrialization and technical advancement have contributed to high levels of land, sea and air pollution and the resultant environmental crises; 4. Our Church as a Province is urgently required to seek solutions to resolve or ease the crises facing us. Resolves to: Adopt the following responsible behaviour measures and respectfully request the Archbishop and the Synod of Bishops to ensure its implementation: 1. Every Parish does its very best to invest in rain-water tanks by 2022. 2. Parishes, where possible, establish food gardens; 3. Each Diocese to appoint a Diocesan Environmental Chaplain together with Archdeaconry Chaplains and Parish environmental officers (whilst bearing in mind Resolution 14 of Provincial Synod of 2016 to promote Anglican Youth involvement); 4. To become more and more “paperless” by installing interactive electronic media as enviro-friendly ways to communicate; 5. To aim to have each Parish, cost-permitting, utilising solar energy and borehole water; 6. Bishops, Diocesan Chapters and Finance Boards to investigate the feasibility of the appointment of Diocesan Environmental Officers. 7. Progress of this programme to be reported to next sitting of Provincial Standing Committee.

The Anglican Church of Southern Africa passed the following resolution 5.8 PLASTIC This Synod noting that: The equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic enters our oceans every minute and by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in the ocean than fish; Plastic is killing marine animals and seabirds, destroying the marine environment as well as people’s livelihoods, infiltrating the human food chain and causing cancers and birth defects. Scientists have found plastic in tap water and even in salt. Microplastic enters our lungs; South Africans use 8 billion plastic shopping bags per year; By contrast 28 African countries, such as Kenya, Rwanda, Morocco and Cameroon, have banned the use, manufacture, importation and distribution of disposable plastic bags. Acknowledging that: Plastic debris not only results in high cleaning-up costs but also brings huge losses for the tourism, fisheries and shipping industries. It threatens our health, constitutional rights, water resources and climate. Resolves to: Call on ACSA to become a #zerowaste Church and call on Parishes and Dioceses to commit to becoming Zerowaste by; Not using plastic bottled water; Not using Styrofoam; Reducing paper as much as possible; Setting up compost heaps and food gardens where possible; Installing recycling bins for church and, if possible, for community; Not using plastic cutlery, cups, water bottles and straws; Displaying a #zerowaste signs at the church; Calls on the governments of South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique and St Helena to ban single use plastic as a matter of urgency.

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA DECLARES A CLIMATE EMERGENCY The following motion was passed the Provincial Synod of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa 5.7 CLIMATE CHANGE EMERGENCY This Synod noting that: We face a triple emergency of climate change, biodiversity loss, poverty and inequality with reference to: 1. The latest Climate Change Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that we have less than twelve years to make a rapid transition away from fossil fuels to renewables or will face out of control climate change; 2. This is a Kairos moment; 3. Rapid climate change, with its increasingly severe weather patterns is having devastating effects on humanity, with its detrimental effects on agriculture, the increase in diseases and various negative impacts on human health; 4. One million out of the 5 million species on this planet face extinction due to human activity; 5 Our economic system is making the rich richer and the poor poorer. In 2018, 26 people owned the same amount of wealth as the 3.8 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity; 6. South Africa is the most unequal country in the world; 7 We cannot eradicate poverty unless we tackle climate change. Further noting: 1. Mozambique has suffered devastating environmental damage and loss of life from Cyclones Idai and Kenneth. “Beira will go down in history as the first city to be completely devastated by Climate Change” said Graca Machel; 2. Parts of KwaZulu-Natal also suffered devastating floods with loss of life; 3. Namibia is suffering from massive drought; 4. Water crises are being experienced in the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape. Acknowledging: 1. The Anglican Consultative Council (ACC 17) meeting this year, passed three significant resolutions, which pertain to ACSA, calling for Provincial Action on Climate Change, (A17:05), Climate Resilience (A17: 06) and the Sustainable Development Goals (A17:11) and encouraging Provinces to: 1.1 Declare a Climate Emergency; 1.2 Identify Environmental related threats; 1.3 Hold Strategic planning Conferences on the SDGs and Climate Change. Resolves to: 1. Appeal for ACSA to declare a Climate Emergency for our Province. 2. Respectfully requests the Metropolitan to cause a Provincial Consultation to be convened on Climate Change in collaboration and at the cost of the ACSA Environmental Network and Hope Africa and to encourage as much as is possible the participation of the Bishops of the Province, Diocesan Social Development Representatives, Environmental Representatives, and Gender Representatives. 3. Ensure the participation of young and women’s voices. 4. This consultation should strive to achieve the following objectives: a. Identify climate related threats; b. Develop an action plan for individuals at Parish, Diocesan and Provincial levels on the Environment and Social Development, to include the following inter alia: b.1 gender and other social considerations; b.2 policies and procedures to increase the use of renewable energies and incorporate creation care into all aspects of church life, including into liturgical practice; b.3 mainstreaming eco-theological reflection across all levels of theological education. c. Report on the implementation of this resolution at the next Provincial Standing Committee and Provincial Synod.

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF SOUTHERN AFRICA HAS “GREENED” THEIR CANONS At the Provincial Synod of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the following measure was passed in order  to “green”  the Canons. Canon 1 OF THE PROVINCIAL SYNOD Printing Committee  [Communication should as far as possible be electronic.]’’ CANON 15 OF ARCHDEACONS Role of archdeacons [The Archdeacon shall ensure that the Parish put in place ways to reduce its electricity, water and paper usage] Building The Archdeacon [or some other person who shall have been appointed for such work] shall examine and report to the Bishop upon all plans for the building or restoration or alteration of churches and other buildings, the property of the Church. [bearing in mind the commitment to being environmentally friendly,] Canon 16 OF DECLARATIONS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS TO BE MADE BY BISHOPS AND CLERGY  [I commit myself to a lifestyle which safeguards the integrity of creation and sustains and renews the life of the earth]. Canon 20 OF LAY MINISTERS Duties of Lay ministers Include  ministry advancing the Anglican Communion marks of mission.] Canon 23 OF PASTORAL CHARGES Extra-parochial ministries Missions to railway workers, [seamen] [seafarers], or other special classes of people where the Bishop thinks fit to provide for them apart from the jurisdiction of the Incumbent licensed to the Pastoral Charge in which they are territorially situated or with which they are territorially coincident. Canon 24 OF INCUMBENTS AND OTHER CLERICS Add to duties of incumbent take responsibility to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth within the parish boundaries] CANON 31: ALTERATIONS TO CHURCH BUILDINGS  [Alterations shall be made taking into account their environmental impact]. Canon 32: OF REGISTERS, RECORDS AND INVENTORIES [(g)] [ensure that electricity and water bills are audited, and necessary actions taken to reduce such bills]. Canon 33 OF THE SERVICES OF THE CHURCH 5. Special Services All Public Fasts and Thanksgivings [and Environmental days] enjoined by authority shall in this Province be religiously observed, and every Bishop shall give directions to the Clergy of [his] [the] Diocese as to the form of Prayer which they are to use on such occasions.” Canon 43 OF THE PROVINCIAL STANDING COMMITTEE Additional function: assist in the direction of and co-ordinate the work of publications, mission, religious education, justice and reconciliation, youth, spirituality, [the environment], communications and other matters in which this Church may be engaged, and to establish appropriate structures, where necessary, for these or other purposes;

CARING FOR CREATION – EQUIPPING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE An enthusiastic group of 36 Sunday School teachers and youth leaders gathered at St Paul’s, Rondebosch for training on how to incorporate Care for Creation into their programmes. The workshop, jointly hosted by the Diocesan Youth Council and Green Anglicans introduced the leaders to the new Youth Manual ‘Caring for Creation ‘ and the Sunday School book “Ryan the Rhino – the story of creation” Rev Rachel started the day with an overview of the impact of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation on Southern Africa. Participants said they felt sad, scared and guilty about what we are doing to this earth. We then were introduced to some of the fun activities geared at Sunday School or Holiday Clubs. JP Roberts led the group through the interactive session using the new manual.  Participants shared some of the enormous challenges in their communities, from violence, crime and environmental neglect. Children walk through rubbish on a daily basis and there are no safe places to play. The workshop ended with a picnic under the trees – we are very appreciative of the hospitality of St Paul’s Church!

Today I am proud to stand in solidarity with you.. As a member of the older generation I confess our failure to you. Since 1970, when I was 10 years old, humanity has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles , the web of life is  unravelling The first commandment that God gave to us as the human race in Genesis 2:15 was to “work the earth and look after it” God entrusted this beautiful planet, teeming with life, into our hands. And we have failed. We are warming the planet – threatening those most vulnerable with floods, drought and sea level rise. I visited Mozambique a few weeks ago and saw for myself the tears of families who had lost their homes and livelihoods through massive flooding. The city of Beira will go down in history as the first major city to be completely devastated by Climate Change. The warming seas supercharged the Cyclone and dumped enormous quantities of rain in a few short days, creating an inland sea. People sat on their roofs for days waiting to be rescued. Our hearts have broken at the xenophobic attacks in Johannesburg and we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters across Africa – we are one Africa. Climate Change is pushing people off the land as the rains fail and into big cities, increasing tensions and violence. When I look at Jesus I see that he always stood on the side of the marginalised, the poor and  the hungry and so we as people of faith must stand  on the side of those impacted by climate change. Scientists tell us that we  have only 11 years left to make a rapid shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy in order to limit disastrous climate change.We have all the knowledge we need to solve this issue, what is lacking is political will.  Climate Change is not an environmental problem –  it is a human rights issue. It is the human rights issue of our time. As a parent I am afraid for the future of my children. We are stealing their future from them and leaving them a bleak and barren world. But today you give me hope – the oceans are rising, but so are the young people. Just as on June 16th as the young people of Soweto we said enough is enough and took to the streets, once again our young people are at the forefront of the movement to fight Climate Change. Phambili young people Phambili. Forward young People, forward