Greetings …
What does the world sound like?
According to an article I read recently, written by Claire Asher, climate change is impacting the way that the world sounds.

To quote a couple of paragraphs …
“In 2015, a US team of scientists and engineers reported that the loudest sound in some waters now comes from millions of tiny bubbles, which are released by melting glaciers and icebergs. In the fjords of Alaska and Antarctica, the average noise level is now over 100 decibels – louder than any ocean environment recorded before.”

“One study in Brazil found that animal calls were loudest during the day in forests close to opencast mines, whereas wildlife further from mines preferred to call at night. The constant noise from the mines, which is mostly due to the 700 or so trucks that can visit daily, increased sound levels by up to 22dB. This forced species that would usually call at night to become more active in the day. Fewer species were recorded at sites closer to the mine, suggesting that, for some species, this noise pollution is too much to bear.”

From the time we are born we are noise makers. The cry of a small baby calls attention to its basic needs. This week people around the world have got together to make a noise and alert others about their concerns around climate change. Whether in larger or smaller groups, or as individuals, people have used their voices to call on government, business, institutions, faith groups and individuals to put a higher priority on addressing the climate change that we see all around us.

As people of faith we know that while climate change is significant for all of us, the consequences for some are more immediate than for other. Indeed, some of our close Pacific neighbours are at risk of physically losing their countries as they disappear beneath the rising sea levels due to increased global warming. In the call upon us to ‘do justice’, are you prepared to continue to make a noise?

Blessings – Heather.