An Urgent Open Letter to Church Leaders: Confronting Climate Breakdown with Prophetic Boldness

Dear Church Leader,

I write to you with an urgent plea. The hour is late, the clock is ticking, and our world teeters on the edge. The moment for prayer and action is not just now—it is critical. This is not another fleeting crisis; it is the crucible that will define our generation and the legacy we leave behind. The climate catastrophe is not a future threat—it is a present reality, advancing with terrifying speed.

The Dire Reality We Face

We are in a dire situation. The climate crisis is not some distant spectre; it is here, now, and it is accelerating. The root cause is clear: our reckless burning of fossil fuels—coal, oil, and gas—has unleashed a storm of greenhouse gases that are tearing apart the delicate fabric of our world. The earth is heating up rapidly, pushing us towards a catastrophic tipping point. We are witnessing it all around us: infernos sweeping across forests, ice caps melting at an unprecedented rate, oceans rising, and entire ecosystems collapsing.

The science is undeniable. Global emissions continue to skyrocket, and the planet is absorbing heat at a rate equivalent to four Hiroshima bombs every second. The tipping points are no longer just warnings; they are being breached right now.

- Ice Melt: The polar ice caps are disintegrating before our eyes, turning the earth’s reflective shield into a heat-absorbing void, speeding up global warming.

- Permafrost Thaw: As permafrost thaws, it releases carbon dioxide and methane—gases far more potent than CO2—further accelerating the climate breakdown. The very ground we stand on is betraying us, releasing ancient stores of greenhouse gases that drive us deeper into crisis.

These tipping points signal a descent into chaos, and we are already slipping.

Carbon Dimming and Carbon Lagging: A Double-Edged Sword

Adding to our peril are the twin threats of carbon dimming and carbon lagging—dynamics that trap us in a cycle of destruction.

- Carbon Dimming temporarily masks the true extent of global warming through particles in the air that reflect sunlight. But this is a deadly illusion. If we stop burning fossil fuels without addressing the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, the planet could warm even faster—a trap that threatens to close around us.

- Carbon Lagging is the ticking time bomb in our atmosphere. The heat we feel today is not just from current emissions but from those of years past. Even if we halted all emissions now, temperatures would continue to rise for decades, locking us into a future of escalating disaster.

These realities underscore the severity of our situation. We are not just approaching the brink—we are plunging over it.

The Call to Prophetic Leadership

As a church leader, I implore you to rise up with prophetic boldness. This is the moment to speak the truth with a fierce and unflinching voice. We are called to be prophets in a world steeped in denial, despair, and delusion. As a prophetic community, we must articulate reality in a culture that refuses to face the truth, enact hope where hopelessness reigns, and speak truth to power for the sake of the powerless.

I urge you to declare a climate emergency within your church. This is no time for soft words or half-measures. Teach about this crisis with the urgency it demands. Harness the vision of the church to ignite action. Develop a robust political theology that challenges the destructive idols of consumerism and unrestrained capitalism. Stand against the systems that oppress and exploit, and be a sanctuary—a refuge for climate activists and those engaging in non-violent civil disobedience.

Jesus himself commanded: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” What does that love look like in a world on fire? It means confronting the forces that threaten to destroy our neighbours—those nearby and those across the globe. It means standing in the gap, fighting for justice, and protecting the least of these with every ounce of strength we have.

We are called to embody the cruciform—the self-giving, sacrificial love of Jesus. This love is not passive. It is fierce, active, and unyielding. It demands that we fight to avoid the worst-case scenarios and adapt in love to the grim realities that may come. And through it all, we must hold fast to this truth: love wins. No matter the darkness, no matter the struggle, love will prevail.

A Call to Radical Action

This is not a time for complacency or cowardice. The church must rise to this challenge with the courage and conviction that comes from knowing we serve a God who is just, who is merciful, and who commands us to act. This is our moment—to be the hands and feet of Christ in a world that desperately needs His healing touch.

The future is not yet written, but the window for action is closing fast. What we do in the next few years will determine the fate of millions, and indeed, the fate of God’s creation.

We are in the eleventh hour, but the story is not over. We can still choose to be a people who stand for justice, who embody mercy, and who steward God’s creation with the reverence it deserves. Let us lead with the courage of Christ, who did not shy away from overturning tables and speaking truth to power.

May God grant us the strength to act with urgency, the wisdom to lead with truth, and the grace to persevere in this fight. The world is watching, and history will judge us by how we respond.

Grace & Peace,

Rev’d Jon Swales

August 2024