Climate Change is apparent to all of us, even I suggest Climate Change Sceptics. Climate Change will always be with us. How to deal with it prompts the question Climate Emergency or Creation Care.

As a Christian, I have long understood that the Bible contains many references to man’s responsibility for Creation Care. God placed man on this Earth, in his image, to care for the environment. To care for the birds and the animals, to care for the plants, the Earth itself.

God reminds us he owns the Earth and that we are but temporary custodians. Christ himself came to earth, living as one of us, to renew not just man but the whole of creation.

As a Christian therefore, I accept I have a responsibility to look after the environment. I take this responsibility into my role as a Councillor at the City of Unley.

It disturbed me therefore to learn this week that there are those out there who see the City of Unley as not caring for the environment. Accusing us of inaction toward climate change.

The City of Unley’s Civic Centre was recently graffiti attacked. A group called Extinction Rebellion has claimed responsibility for this act. In so doing they penned a letter to the Unley Council and Unley Elected Members.

In that letter, this group accuses elected members (and therefore me) of refusing to acknowledge previous letters from them addressed to us. I did not know of this group before the graffiti attack. I can therefore safely say I have never received a letter from them.

The thrust of their letter is that we don’t take residents’ submissions seriously.

Anyone who knows the City of Unley knows only too well that we do take the views of our community seriously. That our strategies and our annual business plans and budget are very much shaped around the wishes of our community.

We not only listen to their contribution we encourage it. Our “green” credentials can be seen in all we do.

And how about checking out our current proposed annual business plan and budget. This is a plan which has been well received by those who took the time to participate in the recent council-wide community consultation.

So, Climate Emergency or Creation Care. It appears that they would prefer we play politics, focusing on declaring a Climate Emergency. We have preferred the pragmatic approach of developing measures around Creation Care.

Making such an Emergency Declaration statement I suggest has no value without appropriate actions. Appropriate Actions, in other words, are where the real value is and that is Creation Care. It is where the real value and therefore the real focus should be.

Creating an integrated package of initiatives that all address both climate emergency or creation care.