"Sir David Attenborough is a modern day prophet"

Although he may not think of himself as such, Sir David Attenborough is, I think, a modern day prophet. In the Bible the role of the prophet was to point out to the people where were going wrong and to enable them to see the bigger picture. Their job was to point out the potential consequences of their actions in order to avoid catastrophe. In his wonderful series about the natural world Blue Planet 2, David Attenborough has highlighted the problems being caused by the increasing volume of plastics in our oceans. He has forced us to think again about how much plastic we consume and what the consequences will be for all of us, if we fail to modify our behaviour.

Lots of small changes in consumption can make a huge difference, the 5p charge on single use plastic carrier bags reduced their consumption dramatically. There was a fabulous little piece on the news recently about primary school kids in Arran trying to persuade restaurants and cafés that plastic straws should be replaced with paper straws and should only be provided when a straw is requested. Little steps that can result in big changes. Who would have thought how many used cotton buds would end up at sea and the damage that they can cause? It could be dramatically reduced if cotton buds were binned rather than flushed. It is horrifying how much plastic ends up in the sea and the damage that it causes to the marine environment and the creatures who live there. David Attenborough has done us all a favour by drawing this problem forcibly to our attention. That’s what it means to be prophetic.

So what does the Bible say about plastics? Nothing! What does the Bible say about the dinosaurs, whose bodies decomposed to make the hydrocarbon reserves from which most of our plastics are derived? Nothing! What the Bible does say however is that God made the world and that put us, human beings, in charge of it. We are responsible for caring for and protecting the environment. Whether or not the world is fit for human habitation in 500 years or 1000 years depends on what action we take now to reduce the damage being done to our environment. We ought to heed the words of the prophets before it is too late.