JUST over a year ago a terrorist attack in Paris destroyed the peace of that city - President Hollande called it "an act of war." In the first week in December 2015, Paris was the backdrop to one of the most significant international conferences of our times - the Climate Change conference COP21. This led to the very first truly international acknowledgement of the seriousness of our situation, and all of the 197 participating nations signed up to serious action to reduce the emissions that drive climate change.

When we hear about terrorist attacks, we feel helpless to do anything to prevent such atrocities. When we see what is happening in Syria and Iraq, we realise how far we have fallen short of the peace God wants for the world, the peace that each one of us would want and again we feel helpless.

There is something we can do to help prevent wars in the future, wars that may be prompted by shortages of resources (land, water and food) caused by our changing climate.

We are all called to be good stewards of the created world. "Care for our common home" as Pope Francis put it in his 2015 encyclical on our changing climate, should not be an inconvenient optional add-on to those who have a Christian faith. Caring for the world should be an essential and central way of living for everyone. Making a difference in this context now, whether motivated by faith or not, will help to contribute to peace in the future.

Pam Martin, Christians Together in Levens