For Australia, bushfires are an annual event, occurring throughout its history. However, the ones we have experienced in the last two months have been, by any criteria, extraordinary. Their extent, duration, severity and destruction have horrified us. And not just us: the world has been watching and commenting.

That’s all factual. The contentious issue is to what extent the bushfires are related to Climate Change, and could we, by acting decisively in the past, have minimised the impact? I’m not going to enter into that debate – it risks becoming party political.

However, in Australia, the politics of climate change has been fraught. It’s brought down Governments and shaped a variety of policies – some of them, inadequate. This seems to have shifted in the past month: there is now widespread acceptance, across the political spectrum, that global warming and climate change is a reality. Most people seem to accept that climate change has played a part – maybe a significant part in our current crisis. That’s a positive development: we now wait to see what ensues.

It’s encouraging that on this major issue the Church hasn’t lagged behind. Pope Francis spoke very clearly in Laudato Si’ (2015) about our collective responsibility as Christians and citizens. He wrote then that climate change was real and primarily the result of human activity. He warned us that the problem is urgent: “Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years”. He encouraged us to act: “reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility.” He also spoke of the long-term human impact: “Those who will have to suffer the consequences…will not forget this failure of conscience and responsibility”.

However, protecting our common home is not just about carbon emissions climate change. It’s much more all-encompassing. Addressing the problem means protecting the planet and vulnerable people. As the Pope demanded: we must hear “both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”. God’s creation – all of it, the earth and humanity need to be the target of our efforts. But he offers encouragement: “Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home…truly, much can be done!”

It’s pleasing to see at the recent World Economic Summit business leaders were speaking about the need for change and positive action. It’s a reminder that we all need to step up; we can’t leave it to our politicians. It’s a challenge for all of us – ourselves, our families and communities. We must commit – in small and practical ways to simplifying our lives, protecting our environment and nurturing our vulnerable.

Peter Carroll