The current global conference on sustainable development, Rio+20, is a fiasco.  The draft text that’s being negotiated is extremely weak and lame, and at some points it’s even worse than the agreement at the first Rio conference on sustainable development 20 years ago. The NGOs represented at the conference say that  ”the text as it stands is completely out of touch with reality”.

Boy, we’ve heard this story before, haven’t we? Many like to blame the UN at this point, but personally I think they do their job quite well – the leaders of Western countries, on the other hand, are out of control in their sinning behaviour. They cause the mess, and the poor countries will have to pay for it:

Thus, environmental destruction is a way in which the rich indirectly oppress and kill the poor. The words of James comes to my mind:

You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you. (Jam 5:5-6)

Something defenitely has to be done immediately to prevent more people to suffer and die due to environmental destruction. That could have been decided at Rio+20. But it wasn’t.

Blocking dirty business: example of civil disobedience

Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace, is tired of the political passivity when it comes to environmental policies. He said to the Guardian:

“We have to ask ourselves what history teaches us in terms of how change happens when humanity has faced a big challenge, such as civil rights, apartheid or slavery.

It is only when decent men and women said enough is enough and no more and were prepared to put their lives on the line and go to prison if necessary, and that is where we are. We have to intensify civil disobedience.”

I totally agree. There is to much at risk for us to sit and watch this destruction go on.

Lobbying is indeed important, and I urge you to sign this urgent petition before the Rio+20 meeting ends, but still I think we have to acknowledge that legal activism is not enough. Civil disobedience is needed. Just like when God broke the law and rescued Peter from prison in Acts 12, or when He sent plagues to Egypt to convince Pharao to let His people go, we should not be afraid to break the law, if necessary, for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Saving the world is not a crime in God’s eyes.