Written by Paul Devenport, ABM’s Adelaide Diocesan Representative.

Summary of the event

Organised by the Adelaide parish of Glen Osmond and the Anglican Creation Care Network,  ABM’s “Climate for Change” study series was conducted over five weeks as part of Adelaide’s National Park City Month celebrations in June this year. The prime purpose of the ABM study is to raise awareness about our climate crisis and to call on individuals to take action. The study booklet costs $11 per participant.

Each session included a 1500-word passage to read and discuss as well as exploring web links to videos and other resources, with suggestions on possible actions participants can take.

Sessions covered:

• Learning from the social impacts of COVID-19.
• Social and environmental impacts of climate change and ways to reduce emissions.
• Our responsibility to care for the environment, including what we can learn from Indigenous peoples, and how we can be positive about the future.

Number and nature of participants

21 people (including five men) registered for the study and   between 15 and 19 people typically attended the weekly sessions.  Most were from St Saviour’s congregation (Parish of Glen Osmond), with two external participants. Ages ranged from late 40s to early 80s. Some were less convinced than others that human activities were causing global warming and impacting our climate, but all had an interest in the environment.

What worked well?

• Asking people to read each passage in preparation for the session enabled more robust discussion; several people did further research to bring to the session.
• Welcoming everyone with afternoon tea enabled people to relax and talk to each other before the session.

What was challenging?

• Cold and wet winter weather had an impact on weekly numbers.

Participant feedback

Participants felt they had a better understanding of the issues surrounding human-induced climate change and felt more confident about joining in conversations with their families and friends. Given the age group there was concern about how the state of the planet had deteriorated under our watch. Nevertheless, there was also a sense of positivity about the future, learning that South Australia is a global leader in the uptake of renewable energy and battery storage, assisting residents to reduce greenhouse emissions. The parish will follow up the study of “Climate for Change” with an eight-week course titled, “Living Smart”. This course provides participants “with the skills and knowledge to take action in their own homes to improve their quality of life and reduce their environmental impact”. These courses are currently available in South Australia and Western Australia.