Carbon Fasting in this Lent
March 19, 2025
The Bible opens with a call for humanity to be more responsible stewards of God’s creation. Traditionally, Lent serves as a season for Christians to fast, focus on God, encourage a simpler lifestyle, and, in our times, urge us to explore ways to reduce our carbon footprint.
A “Carbon Fast” invites individuals and communities to engage in a mindful, earth-honoring spiritual journey, a concept first introduced and adopted by the Church of England in 2008. Since then, congregations of various denominations worldwide have embraced it as a spiritual practice that encourages both individuals and communities to refrain from actions that release climate-disrupting carbon into the atmosphere and to return to a lifestyle that honors God’s command to love the world and care for the most vulnerable.
The 20th century has been labeled the era of human-induced mass destruction, and for decades, scientists and community leaders have urged us to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle that fosters a fairer and more balanced distribution of resources among human communities, along with a greater respect for creation. For centuries, churches around the world have prompted people to turn back to God and prepare for Easter by engaging in the practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during the 40-day season known as Lent.
NASA reports that “Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a significant heat-trapping (greenhouse) gas, released through human activities like deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels, as well as natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruptions.” Years ago, scientists declared that the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 350 parts per million (ppm). However, as of early 2018, NASA indicated that we are currently at 407 ppm. We are experiencing numerous climate-related disasters and hurricanes due to exceeding our “carbon budget.” These calamities disproportionately impact the poor and vulnerable. As a result, many churches have opted to participate in fasts from certain behaviors that emit carbon to better care for God’s people and all of creation.
Most of us have heard scientists explain that burning fossil fuels in densely populated industrialized societies for many years has led to a significant excess of carbon and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases now magnify the frequency and severity of fires, droughts, hurricanes, and other extreme climate events that devastate human communities while harming many species. Therefore, Carbon Fasting focuses on counting the collective pounds of carbon NOT emitted into the atmosphere as we adopt new behaviors to lower our carbon emissions during Lent. For instance, for every mile we walk or take public transportation instead of driving, we can report credit for an estimated 1 pound of carbon kept out of the atmosphere. If we eat chicken for a day instead of beef, we will have prevented an estimated 11 pounds of carbon from entering the atmosphere. Individuals and congregations can participate in this “Carbon Fast,” which offers countless possibilities. One accessible example for many people is to consume less food with high carbon footprints. Highly processed foods that travel long distances often generate significant carbon emissions during production and transportation, while many animal products also have high carbon footprints.
Let us make this Lent an opportunity to draw closer to God and live closer to this God-created Creation.
Philip Richard Sundaram
MTS & Co-Editor, The Herald