God meets us in Jesus, who makes Jubilee a living thing that must be allowed to grow and challenge the established order. Relations between the Global North and the Global South have in the past been and continue to be distinguished by the domination and exploitation of peoples and the land. To cancel debts and to redistribute wealth out of a sense of justice, not charity, was to take tentative steps towards mending global relationships. In our search for wealth, we pursue policies which devastate the Earth and its web of life, source of all food, water, shelter, warmth, and beauty. Commercial logging, mining, farming, and fishing all deplete this natural wealth, in some cases to the point of exhaustion or extinction.
Widespread pollution is a bitter inheritance of the last century s wave of industrialism.
We are indebted to the Earth for the sustenance it offers our bodies and souls, and we owe the Earth for the damage we have inflicted on it. This year, we will seek to address our debt to the Earth for the damage we have done, and for the unequal way in which that damage is disproportionally suffered by developing countries while rich countries profit. Under our Renewal of the Earth theme, we are asking everyone to consider their impact on the Earth and how to lighten it. Specifically, we are revisiting the Churches historic work on climate change and seeking some forward movement on ratification of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus control climate change . The debts we owe Aboriginal peoples In the Canadian churches, we are facing that debt right now as aboriginal peoples seek redress for the damage inflicted on persons and cultures by the residential schools system.