Sunday's Biggest News

 

We could be forgiven for thinking that the truly momentous news from this past Sunday was the announcemen by President Biden that he would not seek a second term of office. This was certainly a big deal, given the sweep of global influence an American president has.

There was even bigger news, in my estimation, although essentially ignored. Sunday July 21st, 2023, was the hottest day for Planet Earth in recorded human history. 

We have received repeated warnming from climate scientists that our planetary home is heating to the point that portions of it will be unlivable. There  is no Plan B, despite the nonsensical claims of the billionaires that we can set up camp on other planets. So, while we are given the scientifically recorded facts about a boiling Earth with "global weirding" events such as early hurricanes, unprecedented flooding. and massive wildfires, Hulk Hogan rips his shirt off at the Republican National Convention to the cheers of the delegates. 

There is such a massive disconnect between what is unfolding around us in terms of climate and the "what, me worry"  outlook of millions of individuals and their governments. The Canadian province that is probably most affected by climate change is Alberta, with drought and wildfires as major issues. The town of Jasper in the Rocky Mountains, a tourist mecca, is now empty, evacuated because of an advancing fire.  Yet the current government is essentially in denial, choosing short-term prosperity with the fossil fuel industry over long-term sustainability. 

And often it is Christians whose scriptures invite us to humbly acknowledge that the Earth belongs to the Creator, not to humans, who lead the way in downplaying climate realities. My evangelical relatives will not accept that humans are agents of planetary destruction. Even when articulate climate scientists such as Katharine Hayhoe, an evangelical Christian herself, remind us that climate change is not a matter of belief but scientific evidence they are unmoved, as are so many.

Records are made to be broken and, sadly, Monday was hotter than Sunday. I do get discouraged but I won't turn away and I won't shrug and give up because it's my Christian responsibility to live the hope of Christ in our daily lives. My four grandchildren deserve a full and meaningful life.