United Nations Radio

Speaking to religious and faith community leaders in November at Windsor Castle in the UK, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on them to lead and inspire their followers to take action against climate change. But even before that, the Minister of the United Reformed Church in the British city of Bristol has been setting an example in this regard. Our correspondent Ratko Petrovic found out more from Minister Douglas Burnett, better known in his community as 'The Eco-warrior'.

Rev. Dougie Burnett and students

BURNETT: I think that religious community have a key aspect in relation to climate change, because what religious communities can deliver is a particular sense of a sacred nature of creation, if you like, which gives a further motivation, a further drive to do something about climate change, so we don't see the Earth as just a thing - it's something that demands stewardship and care. With the vast majority of communities - religious communities -- across the country, there should be so much networking that is possible, to get people to take these issues seriously from a real sense of faith motivation.

PETROVIC: What can be done and what's your experience so far?

BURNETT: With my church, we have readily embraced this and we have seen climate change as a mission issue, but we work towards this from our particular faith perspective. So we've had "going green" all age days, "going green" activities. We have delivered a climate change petition to number 10 Downing Street, we've hosted climate change light shows.

PETROVIC: And there is something that makes your church different from other churches.

BURNETT: That is correct. We have got 40,000 pounds worth of PV (photovoltaic) cells on our church roof. Most of the electricity that we generate we export into the national grid. We reckon that about 90 percent of what we generate we export into the national grid.

PETROVIC: So what would be your message?

BURNETT: I think we're looking at a wholesale revision of society's social values, economic systems and everything, because climate change will challenge all our pre-assumptions of how things work, how we can expand economies. So I think we're looking at letting go of laissez-faire capitalism. I think you look at a much stronger sense of social values, community, living with less, sharing more in the community, a much greater sense of the world as God's creation. And when you work out the consequences of things like that, ideas like that - that is absolutely immense. The change is going to be huge!

PRES: Douglas Burnett, eco-warrior and minister with the United Reformed Church in Bristol, England.

Producer: Ratko Petrovic
Duration: 2'33"