(Previously posted through TheScoop2017, May 2017)
Scientists give conflicting information about global change so can we be blamed if we aren’t convinced it’s a real threat? Even if the earth is warming up, what can we do about it anyway? I understand the Bible is not a scientifically sound source to go to for information and as an intelligent society we only want the facts. But the Bible has more to say on the topic than what you may realize.
The earth has gone through warming and cooling cycles before, they say, but since scientists have been keeping track of the temperature in the late 1800s, the rate of increase in the earth’s atmosphere is estimated to be ten times faster than past cycles and scientists don’t think this is natural. We are putting around 30 tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere each year, compared to 0.02 tons from natural events like volcanoes and forest fires. Scientists are concerned the earth’s ecosystems will not be able to adapt as it has in past cycles. The result, it is feared and is already beginning to be seen, is more acidity in the ocean water, sea levels rising up to two feet, stronger hurricanes, and more extreme temperatures.
Then to make things even a bit more complicated, the Dailymail.co.uk. reported last April that Dr. John Bates, a top National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration scientist, claimed the NOAA “breached its own rules on scientific integrity” when it hurried a paper on climate change through its channels so it would be released in time for the Paris Agreement on climate change and impact the political leaders present. The paper exaggerated the rate of rise in the earth’s temperature and claimed that a slowdown scientists had discovered in 2013 never happened. Bates claims the paper had misleading and unverified information and his objections to the paper’s release was overruled, making what has become known as the Pausebuster paper a “blatant attempt to intensify (its) impact.”
Whether global warming is an exaggeration of a natural warming cycle or a manmade problem, it is everyone’s problem since we all share this planet. At it’s heart, global warming is about the use of fossil fuels emitting carbon emissions which collectively reduces the ozone layer. The ozone layer is important because it filters the harsh rays of light, keeping the earth’s atmosphere from burning up.
The Bible says this planet will one day burn up, be rolled up like a scroll, and God will usher in a new heaven and a new earth, so why should Christians be concerned about their use of fossil fuels if the planet will be burned up anyway? After all, nothing we do will change the ultimate outcome.
The truth of the matter is the earth isn’t ours. What do we have that we have not ultimately been given? And if what we have has ultimately been given, is it ours or is it just on loan? Since we are only on this planet for a relatively short time, I’d argue the earth and all its resources is on loan and doesn’t ultimately belong to us.
In Genesis we read that God put Adam in charge of the garden He planted. This included the animals, fish, and fowl as well. But as the story goes, Adam blew it and God cursed the ground, changing everything. Does this mean then that Adam was no longer in charge? Because our ancestors decided to do things their way, and paid a price for it, does this mean they were no longer responsible to care for the earth?
Jesus had a lot to say about personal responsibility. He told a parable we call the parable of the talents. It is a story about a rich man putting some of his people in charge of his business while he went away for an extended period of time. When the man returned, he did an assessment of his business dealings while he was away. Some of the dealings went very well, some somewhat well, and one not so well. This last one was because the person basically didn’t care enough to do anything about the responsibility he was given, but instead cared more for his own skin. He knew the owner was ruthless when it came to people crossing him, so the guy made sure the owner would get his money back, but did nothing to improve it.
Usually when we think of being responsible of the talents God has given us, we think of our job, money, or even our natural abilities like a good singing voice. But we seldom think about the larger picture of what God has given to us to use in nature, like the land, the air, the water. So, whether it is keeping the land clean by minimizing our trash or lightening our carbon footprint, we are ultimately being a caretaker of the earth God has given us to use. Even Jesus took up the fragments of bread that was left after he fed the 5,000 so none would be wasted. If Jesus was responsible to not waste this food he had miraculously created, shouldn’t we be equally responsible for the ecosystem of the earth he has created?
The truth of the matter is we don’t have a timetable for Biblical prophecy and don’t know when this catastrophic event will take place. In the meantime, we are caretakers of God’s creation. God made this world and said it was good. He cares about the earth he created and invested in it, (which includes each person too, by the way). Because we love Him, we should care about the earth too, including the atmosphere.
www.livescience.com/37003-global-warming.html