Many of us have been captivated by the images of deep-sea fish and underwater ocean life in the remarkable and groundbreaking footage from the BBC’s Blue Planet 2 series. Some of the ‘creatures’, filmed at over a thousand feet deep, look more like characters from a Star Wars movie. Particularly the giant big scary fish called trevallies! Others seem to be highly intelligent: for instance, in the last programme we are treated to the extraordinary antics of a tusk fish, which swims to the edge of the reef and uses its mouth to pick up a small clam. It then takes it back to its ‘kitchen’ (which is essentially a massive rock) and starts to bash the clam repeatedly to open it. Captivating and exhilarating watching!

But what I find most interesting is seeing how Sir David Attenborough has changed his tune. In his early series Life on Earth, while depicting the complexity and beauty of our planet Sir David would steer well clear of any mention of climate change or environmental catastrophe – but now we hear the creeping-in of phrases like ‘overfishing’, ‘decaying reefs’, and so on. Perhaps one explanation for this is that over his 50 years in the business Sir David finally has admitted that we humans do have a greater and greater responsibility to look after and understand our planet. In a recent interview with journalist Louis Theroux he said, ‘Coral reefs are disappearing and about half the world’s fish, at some stage or another, live or depend on the coral reef. I’m not saying that the oceans are going to become barren overnight, but humanity is becoming more and more dependent upon the seas for food. The land is being scorched, deserts are spreading, and the seas are warming – well, all those factors cause great changes in our fortunes, and will do’.

Next week – on 15th of November – we are extremely lucky to be hosting the famous American climate scientist Prof Katherine Hayhoe at SMV. She will be in conversation with Climate Outreach Director George Marshall. It promises to be a stimulating and exciting night which I hope you can join us for, as Katherine tells the story of how she has taken on Texans on climate change – no mean feat!

The words of St Frances of Assisi also point us towards the fact that we all have a role and vocation in this great debate.

‘Most High, Glorious God,
enlighten the darkness of our minds.
Give us a right faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity,
so that we may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will’. Amen.