For decades I have loved roaming across the plateau found on the top of Zomba Mountain. It has never been heavily populated, but it used to be a pleasure to occasionally meet forestry workers, fruitpickers, gemstone dealers, and their families. At the weekend I walked from one side of the mountain to the other and met not a single soul. The trees have gone and with them the people. It is still a magnificent topography but now presents rather a desolate scene, compared to what it once was.
In a dark moment I wondered if I was seeing a vision of what the world will look like when it is devastated by climate change and other forms of environmental mismanagement – and no longer able to support human life. Let’s hope and pray that this never comes to pass. But we know that it is a real and present danger.
Some are hopeful that a new technological solution will emerge to save us from the looming disaster. I am more inclined to hope that it might be a combination of many small actions that slow the rate of climate change and gradually create a livable future.
Here at Zomba Theological University we hope to do our “small action.” We have conceived a six-pronged plan with the aim that we should play our part as a theological institution. 1) Research grants to incentivize postgraduates to work on ecological themes. 2) Adding an ecotheological section to the library. 3) More solar power for our buildings. 4) Making better use of our land – orchards, flower gardens and vegetable gardens. 5) Eliminating plastic bags from the University campus. 6) Equipping students on practical placements in local churches to raise environmental awareness and plant trees in deforested areas.
Even if these plans come to fruition, we know that they are a drop in the ocean. But we can only hope and pray that there will be many other drops.
Thinking Mission Blog 