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Marking another Xmas in our lives on this ephemeral world. The short but momentous life of the Lord Jesus Christ has impacted the cause of history. No wonder the Yuletide is a time for the celebration of a spiritual man who the scriptures tell us was given to us by his Father to lead us onto the righteous path that is devoid of iniquities. Unto us a spiritual being, yet in human form, was given whose teachings are supposed to guide and guard us even as we play our part on the world stage. The life of Jesus Christ is about life in the world and the hereafter. This life is worth emulating by all of us so that as human beings born anew, we shall affect the world we occupy positively. The challenges we are facing today as mortal beings can, by and large, be attributed to our departure from the religious morals as enshrined in the scriptures and as espoused by Jesus Christ. Our relationship with the environment has a religious touch, the departure from which is responsible for the many challenges we are beset with today. Copenhagen has come and gone even as world leaders are still brooding over what transpired in the Danish capital.The world is in a fragile situation as the seasons are threatened by the worst human practices yet in its history.Global warming is on the increase, with the resultant negative effect on food production and myriad of other challenges. If only we had limited some of our activities in line with religious obligations, such as being protective of the earth which our Maker has bestowed upon us in trust, the world would have been spared some of the worries which made the Copenhagen meetings necessary. We are being enjoined to keep the earth in the best of shapes so that by the time we leave it and return to our maker, generations yet unborn will inherit it without any justification to query us for being irresponsible. It appears from the many environment drawbacks we are witnessing that we have indeed been irresponsible.The carbon emission of both the developed and the emerging economic powers, such as China and India, is worrying and call for serious attention by all. Our use of artificial fertilizers has not been helpful to the cause of protecting the environment as the fertility of soil continues to deplete to the detriment of food security in the long run.Floods and other forms of natural disasters have their roots in the emerging imbalances in our relationships with the earth. We have tampered negatively with the natural position of things on the earth we are holding in trust in the name of modernity. That we are therefore paying dearly for this irresponsibility is not in dispute. Without the religious approach to the climatic challenges we are facing, we shall not make any headway.Even as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, let us remember that the guarantee that we shall have our planet intact and in the best of shapes for future celebrations lies in our ability to maintain a balance between our needs and the necessary demands of protecting the environment. Failure to do this will not only be disastrous, but religiously unacceptable.It behooves our clerics to champion the cause of protecting the environment so that we can be assured of enjoyable future Xmases. Our esteemed readers, we take the opportunity of the approaching Xmas to wish you all a wonderful celebration devoid of natural disasters. Even as you enjoy, remember that your environment is under threat and so think about how you too can contribute your widow�s mite towards protecting it. Merry Xmas and a prosperous New Year.