There are many people in the church who seem to run a mile at the mention of 'politics'. Or at least at the mention of some politics. They're quite happy to talk about poverty and homelessness - but mention climate change, and suddenly it's: 'Oo, no, isn't that a bit...' and then in voice that suggests they've just eaten a Murray Mint that tastes like mouldy socks, they say, 'political...?'

I find this particularly strange at Christmas. The time of year when we celebrate the birth of one of the greatest political activists ever to have lived: Jesus.

The man around which the whole of Christianity is based would surely turn on his cloud if he heard a chap in a tweed suit with a blue rinse denouncing the fight against climate injustice as being a bit too... 'political'. Because let's be clear, this Jesus wasn't a chap who sat in an armchair watching X-Factor. In the face of a brutal civil oppression, he taught a message of peace, and where he found poverty and greed he railed against it.

His resistance was non-violent, but far from passive. And wasn't it Jesus who said in the Sermon on the Mount, 'Blessed are the wind turbines'? Okay - so maybe I made that last bit up... but Archbishop Rowan Williams did say tackling climate change was a Christian duty. (In fact it wasn't just him. This October the leaders of the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist faiths in Britain issued a joint statement saying that tackling the causes of global warming was 'morally imperative'.)

Christian Aid and CAFOD are both greatly respected Christian charities which have gained mass support for their work to eradicate poverty and suffering. Now, for both of them, climate change is their key campaign. They know that global warming will create more poverty, homelessness and injustice than ever before - that if they don't fight climate change, they might as well give up and go home.

It was fantastic to hear that the Mothers' Union and the WI both planned to be involved in the 350 Day of Climate Action last month. I hope this signals the start of a bigger change across the Island's pews and pulpits.

Christmas is about giving and sharing. About compassion, humility and forgiveness (which is why I haven't given myself the gift of a good old moan about the chairman of the MEA for his failure to do anything significant to reduce our dependence on oil and gas... Oops...!)

So, instead of telling ourselves that we're not convinced by climate change, or that it's not going to affect us, or that we find the 4x4 much more comfortable... perhaps, especially if we have Faith, we should be noticing that climate change is already creating drought and disease and poverty and injustice in the developing world, and that instead of selfishly turning up the heating or gorging on a second turkey, we could do something about it.

We could take personal action by supporting the 10:10 campaign and promising to cut our own CO2 emissions by 10% in 2010. And because, so often, the only thing anyone is waiting for is the support of someone they trust, we could tell our friends that we want to make a difference, and see if they'll join us.

Further afield, we could ask our church, or our school or sports club to sign up to the 10:10 campaign too.

And, perhaps, because it’s Christmas, we could send a card to John Shimmin and Phil Gawne, currently the only MHKs taking climate change seriously, to say 'thanks for trying to make a difference’, and to offer them support. [NB This coloumn was written before Tynwald unanimously agreed their first climate change motion in November - about time - but better late than never.]

Poverty and suffering are political; climate change is political; Christianity was started by a great political activist who saw a better future and wanted humanity to share it.

So, this Christmas - let's make him proud.

To make a difference this Christmas:
* Visit Isle of Man Friends of the Earth and find out more about the 10:10 campaign. www.foe.org.im
* Get involved in The Wave – an event in recognition of the Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, on
* Donate some cash to Christian Aid, CAFOD, or if you want to keep your cash on the Island, the One World Centre – to help them fight climate change related poverty and suffering.
* If you’ve not finished your Christmas Shopping, then check out the Christmas Shopping suggestions on the FoE website too.

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Last month I suggested taking personal action on climate change. This month I want to look at ways the Government could make a difference.

We have a magnificent history of innovation and legislation on the Isle of Man. We’ve got the oldest parliament in the world, we’ve built a finance sector from scratch, and we gave votes to women long before Westminster. But right now we’re missing the boat on climate change.

The richness and diversity of our landscape means that, as a nation, we’re likely to be hit badly by the weather impacts of global warming. Yet we’re failing to invest in the necessary adaptations – meaning we’ll probably have to create new infrastructure in a clumsy rush and at much greater public expense.

We’re also failing to take advantage of the situation. We could benefit from climate change - if only MHKs stopped playing conkers in Tynwald and started doing some work instead.

The Isle of Man is just 30 miles by 15. A small place – but with a strong sense of nationhood, a big ego, and a big impact around the world. We’re the big brother of small states – many of whom continue to look to us for new ideas. We also have a large number of global companies registered here.

At this point it’s worth noticing the elephant in the room. The world is out to get low tax economies, transparent or not, and in all likelihood the boom days of our finance sector have already passed. It’s a big conversation the Government’s scared to have in public, but which is being trailed in whispers around the corridors of power. Most of our eggs are in the financial basket – so big ideas about how to sustain our GDP are needed.

We could become a centre of environmental excellence; we could become a low carbon economy. Our light touch bureaucracy and ability to move legislation quickly (if the mood takes us) mean we could make the most of the fact that the world is in search of new low-carbon ideas, systems and products, which could be born and developed here.

Our landscape and coastline give us the perfect chance to become a leading test-bed for new technologies. By investing in research and by creating financial incentives and an attractive planning system that allows enviro-companies to flourish, we could be living up to our ambitions as a world-class centre of excellence. This would help safeguard our economy and our public services for the future.

Global warming is creating a new industrial revolution. A revolution that’s rushing towards us like an unbroken colt, but if we’re going to find ways of taming it and sticking on a saddle, we’ve got to grab the chance before it bolts and finds greener pastures run by other governments.

In order to be taken seriously as a low-carbon territory however, we have to address the fact that we generate some of the dirtiest power, per capita, in the Western world. Even though Tynwald passed legislation to invest in renewable energy and promote microgeneration in 2006 – it still hasn’t happened. Our electricity is oil and gas generated, and there’s no better way of contributing to future climate chaos. Government is demonstrating its inability to look ahead, to invest sustainably in the future, and to enforce its own policy. It begs the question, what’s the point of Tynwald, when a key statutory body is dragging its heals in such a woeful manner.

Our financial expertise could bring other benefits too. By building straightforward environmental rules into our company registrations we could make a fundamental difference around the world and help redefine our finance sector’s ethical base. Our tax incentives are still attractive, so most companies would comply without second thought.

Agriculture too continues to be a big deal on the Island. Switched-on farmers know crops are more likely to fail due to shifts in harvest patterns and an increase in pests; they know topsoil is being washed away, and that fire will become a greater risk. DAFF has an opportunity to create a centre of farming excellence on the Isle of Man - looking at ways in which agriculture can adapt and thrive in a changed climate.

Beyond that we could be promoting development of electric vehicles, banning plastic bags, and building new flood defences and drainage systems that integrate renewable technologies. We could be learning from our heritage and developing new attractions to show how the lessons of the past can help us build the infrastructure of the future – from waterwheels to coppicing and biofuels.

The opportunities are vast and many, and the alarm clock’s ringing for Tynwald. It’s time MHKs woke up.

There must have been something in the water. Even my aged aunt, a died-in-the-wool, state-of-the-nation, salt-of-the-earth, Daily-Express-reading sceptic is starting to wonder about climate change and what ordinary people can do about it.

Today I’m looking at two clear actions you can take to tackle global warming.

First of all, please visit the Isle of Man Friends of the Earth website: www.foe.org.im. It’s new, colourful, and there’s a raft of information and links to useful stuff, including the 350 International Day of Climate Action on the 24th October and the 10:10 campaign.

Both campaigns have been launched to draw attention to the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen this December. Already billed as the most important conference of this generation, it’s also potentially the biggest flop, if binding targets, and the mechanisms to achieve them, aren’t agreed. Work will also be done to agree ways of punishing signatory governments with fines and trade exclusions if they fail to do what they’ve promised.

People who can’t be bothered with climate change often point to China and say, ‘Why should we do anything if they aren’t?’ Aside from the fact that this is bizarre (‘The bear isn’t running away from the dragon so why should I?’), China, India, Russia and the USA are all now committed to the Copenhagen process. China in particular has surprised everyone by making strong commitments in advance of the final talks. It’s also worth mentioning that even though we’re a small state - we’re a big state among small states… a sort of older brother that’s looked up to by a multitude of smaller territories. What we do matters.

So what about these campaigns? The 350 Day of Climate Action is a terribly important event with an unfortunate name. But, forget about the fact that 350 means diddely squat – I’ll explain it in a minute – what’s important is that around the world there are literally thousands of groups raising awareness of climate change on the 24th October. The Isle of Man is no exception. The One World Centre in Castletown (Tel: 825464) is co-ordinating a whole range of activities you can get involved in… for example, 350 drummers will Samba, the Tower of Refuge will be lit with a 350 sign, DAFF are planting 350 trees, the WI are baking 350 cakes, Peel’s cathedral bells will be ring 350 chimes, Morsbags are giving away 350 recycled bags, and there’ll be a three-minute people-freeze in Douglas High street… There’ll also loads more stuff I just haven’t been told about yet. If you fancy getting involved, give Katie at the OWC a call, and check the FoE website for more details.

So why’s it called the 350 Day of Action. Sorry, but here goes: the main climate scientists agree that the safe level of CO2 in our atmosphere is 350 parts per million. Beyond this we’re working our way towards Apocalypse. Fossil fuel burning has led to an unprecedented increase in the levels of CO2 in the air, and surprise surprise, we’re already beyond 350ppm. In fact we’re on track for around 500ppm in the near future. We have to cut emissions back to 350, so that like a sick child, the world can get better again. (It is still possible.)

Raising awareness is a good start. But action to cut emissions is what matters most. If you do nothing else on the 24th October, perhaps you can sign the 10:10 pledge.

This campaign was launched in September to give individuals and companies carbon cutting targets too. Simply - you’re being asked to sign a pledge to cut your emissions by 10% in 2010.

On the next-door island loads of people, including every member of the UK Cabinet have signed the pledge. Camden Council has signed up, so have Royal Mail, Ocado, The Guardian, Co-op, the National Union of Students, as well as a multitude of heritage organisations and smaller companies.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if every Member of Tynwald, and the IoM Post, Manx Telecom, the MEA, Manx National Heritage and the Island’s media outlets all signed it too?

And wouldn’t it be great if you did? I have. My wife and I are already trying to drive less and turn off our computers more. We’re using less water (even cold water needs processing), buying as much local food as we can, and using less heat. They’re small things – but they add up to a big difference. They’ll reduce the CO2 we’re responsible for, and they’ll save cash.

It’s my world and my responsibility – it’s yours too… What are you going to do?

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