We have watched with horrified fascination as an area the size of Saskatchewan and Manitoba combined has been flooded in the Queensland region of Australia. The city of Brisbane, population two million, has been paralyzed by the inundation. People have been warned that debris in the water might actually be crocodiles, and poisonous snakes are invading homes looking for higher ground. Oh boy.
Meanwhile, in Brazil, hundreds have died because of flooding and mudslides. While the two countries are thousands of kilometres apart, both are being affected by La Nina, a natural occurence in the Pacific Ocean. At least scientists are hoping it is natural. In both Australia and Brazil the flooding exceeds anything experienced before. Is this natural weather pattern being ramped up by human activity? Are record snowfalls in Europe also the result of climate change? No one is sure, except some religious types.
Many of the most fervent climate change deniers are conservative Christians. Because they have a one-track salvation mindset they view discussion of climate change as anti-Christian. Go figure.
We don't know whether the recent extremes of weather are signs of climate change. Weather is what happens today and tomorrow while climate is what happens over the long haul. I hope that we aren't slow-motion anti-Noah's, unable to recognize what is happening around us until it is too late. There is a growing body of scientific evidence telling us that climate change is real and of huge concern.
Should we just calm down over the weather extremes which have occurred recently? What do you make of the "trust Jesus and get saved" approach? Does it matter anymore even if we want to make a difference?
There was a growing body of evidence with respect to climate change five years ago when this was a hot-button issue thanks to Al Gore, et al.
ReplyDeletePrior to this, there has been a growing body of evidence building out of California since 1969, when CO2 levels in the atmosphere were first reliably tracked and analyzed.
I trust in Jesus to help us help ourselves.
I just read an article about the Alberta oil sands project that was in the Toronto Star. Actually, it was an entire section of the paper, and it was submitted by the oil sands companies.
ReplyDeleteObviously it was slanted in their favour, but it seems to me that greenhouse gases from the sands could be greatly reduced if technology could be improved to heat the bitumen deep below the surface.
It is hard to know if these floods and other catastrophes are a result of climate change, but I am hopeful that with technology, we can find ways to reduce our footprint and try to keep things as clean as possible.
I don't get the view of the extreme conservative Christians. Climate change talk being un-Christian? Give me a break! We are the wardens of the earth. God left us in charge. I believe it would be against his will to ignore our effect on the climate.
ReplyDeleteI've just read most of a book written by a very conservative writer. The only reason I took the time to read this book is because I recieved it in a very unusual way. You could say it found me, so I was compelled. It was a tough read. All about the end of days coming very soon, and climate change was a sign of the end being near. I finally put it down when the writer proclaimed that Goerge W. Bush would be the President during the rapture, and lead many Christians to heaven. OMG!
I wish she had said that in chapter 1.
God enTRUSTED us as stewards of the Earth so yes we definitely have responsibilty not to "steal" it from future generations.
ReplyDeleteLike SJD, I just don't know how anyone doing any thinking for themselves could believe that exploring/reflecting on our impact on the earth could be un-Christian. Our faith supports/guides us in our life on earth, it doesn't say we get to live in a vaccuum. I tell my kids regularily that God gave us brains for a reason, so use them.
I worry for churches...we've goofed up in lots of areas, and dwindling membership reflects that, but a self righteous piece of me feels that some religious groups,like the one you blog about today, do more than their fair share of turning people off religion in general.
Genesis describes God's pleasure with creation, his love for the world. We are to love what God loves...we need to show that love in all aspects of our living!
It's great for me to be able to read your responses from a distance of several thousands kilometres.
ReplyDeleteOf course nasty, climate changing oil had to be burned for me to get here...must keep guilt at bay... must keep... It is the challenge isn't it?
Thanks for being such a thoughtful bunch.