Thoughts on Climate Change
First some words of biblical encouragement.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. NKJV
Philippians 4:6-9 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. NLT
Do I believe in anthropogenic climate change? Of course I do. As many of you will recognize, I am a Young Earth Creationist, and believe there was a worldwide flood a few thousand years ago. And it was human behavior that brought God’s judgment upon the earth. And the next biblical climate change judgment is foretold in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the last book of the Bible, judgment from God for human wickedness.
We also know that climate change has happened many times in history. There are cities that are now underwater when the ocean was much lower than now. We know that the Sahara was once lush and green with abundant waterways. We also know that during the ice age, there was not ice in northern Russia and Siberia and perhaps Alaska, and that it was more than likely that the Arctic Ocean was ice free. Antarctica also had vegetation and animals. Greenland was called Greenland because it was green and crops were grown there—all of this not so long ago. And we know that none of these climate changes and events were caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Galileo reported that he saw sunspots, but a few years later, he was called out for wrong information. There were no sunspots on the sun. As we now know, both were right. Galileo saw sunspots, and later observers did not. And we know that during the time without sunspots, temperatures were colder. We know from this and other events and research that the sun has had significant effects on the climate and still may today. The sun has had far more influence on the climate than do the so called greenhouse gases.
I have lived long enough, and so have many of you, to remember that scientists told us in the 1970s that we were in danger of another ice age due to cooling climate. One scientist recommended that we burn all the coal in the world to stave off this ice age. Of course, the narrative has changed to global warming.
Then in the 90’s and early 2000’s, there were dire warnings about global warming, the Arctic Ocean ice sheets melting completely, and other such catastrophes. So many warnings with deadlines that are now long past. If these prognosticators were prophets in biblical times, they were to be stoned for their false prophecies.
I was in high school and college, and I remember waking up in the mornings in Southern California hearing the birds—coughing. Okay, that is an exaggeration, but the Los Angeles basin was covered with smog. But now the air is much clearer despite there being many more people and automobiles. So we have made a lot of progress already in creation care, as we are mandated in scripture to do.
So what is happening now? It is really hard to know, because the issue of climate change has become so politicized, even as demonstrated in this current discussion–“How am I suppose to reach other Christians when most of them think they have to buy into every Republican talking point, including the idea that climate change is just a myth?” And why should we believe every Democrat talking point?
No, not nearly all climate scientists agree with the current narrative, maybe not even most. But these voices are being silenced while those supporting the current narrative are amplified. So when there is not an open conversation, it is hard to know the truth.
So what action should we take? We now have 8 billion people in the world. Any solutions we put forward need to assure that no lives are lost because of climate change policies. After all, why save the earth for people while millions and potentially billions of people may die from starvation and cold? As hard as it is to accept, there are some elites that voice that reducing the earth’s human population by half or even to half a billion is necessary to save the planet. With AI, there are some elites talking about how human labor can be replaced with AI robots. Not so many right now, but these people are increasing. Are you volunteering to be one of those eliminated for the cause? If not, then let’s work together to assure that everyone has food and shelter and can survive, not just the elite.
The earth currently supports this many people with food, transportation, heating and cooling primarily because of fossil fuels and fossil based fertilizer. But we are stampeding toward transitioning to renewable energy, which is not really as renewable and earth friendly as we think.
So let’s think about renewable energy. That certainly includes hydropower, yes? But three dams are being taken out in the Klamath basin in Northern California, and there is now talk of taking out more in the Snake River basin in the Northwest—for environmental reasons of course. Nuclear energy is carbon free, but for many this is off the table as well, even though the technology has advanced considerably and it is immensely more safe, and new technologies have largely addressed the issue of spent fuel storage. The opposition is largely based on fear. Wind turbines slaughter migrating birds. Ocean based turbines are also suspected of hindering whale reproduction. There are even more environmental and human safety issues involved in climate technologies.
One way to determine what these elite climate change spokepeople really believe is to look at their actions, not listen to their words. They fly to Davos in private jets. They buy and live in beachfront properties. These elites generally have much larger carbon footprints that the average American. Maybe they don’t care, because sacrifice is for us, and not for them. Or maybe they don’t believe what they are saying, but their agenda brings them more money and power—as in “follow the money.”
Remember also, the earth has only one atmosphere. So wringing out the last of America’s carbon emissions won’t change much while China and India are opening new coal fired plants on a regular basis. And why shouldn’t they? Carbon based fuels is what western economies were built on, and how can we tell them they can’t do the same to build their economies? That is the response that they give us when we ask them to get on board with the global climate initiative. Of course, there is some posturing that they will support the global efforts. But again, don’t watch their lips move. Watch their actions and behavior.
What are other reasonable alternatives? Well, like many cultures and societies did in the past, we can adjust. So if Greenland becomes green again, and Saskatchewan and Manitoba become better areas to live and farm while other areas become less suited for agriculture, well so much the better. If some or even many people have to move out of low lying areas as or if the oceans rise, well move them. That is an alternative that may be more achievable, whether we like it or not. So what if the Obamas have to leave Martha’s vineyard, while those a few blocks away now have ocean front property? That would be a pleasant inversion. Those who can’t currently afford ocean front property will have the ocean in front of their homes.
Here is my somewhat tongue in cheek response. Or maybe it is close to what I actually feel. And after all, isn’t what I “feel” my truth, and not what I know or believe? At least that is the common narrative today.
The climate gods are angry. If we do not make massive sacrifices to them, they will destroy us. The climate narrative is so intense that it takes on a religious like fervor. The climate elite engender fear, and with fear, they gain control. But purveyors of fear are not of God or from God—because God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Here is some truth. We would like to think that we (people) can control the climate. Probably not that much. But God can. In the moral realm, the same is true. We think we have the capacity to determine right and wrong ourselves, perhaps through societal agreement (social contract theory). We make ourselves into gods. But morality is based in transcendence. God is the final arbiter of right and wrong and good and evil. In both the physical and spiritual realms, God is sovereign, and we are not.
We started with scripture, God’s Word. So let’s end with what God says. After the worldwide flood, God said,
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”
Genesis 8:22
God keeps his promises; God keeps his word.
So we cast all our cares upon Him, the sovereign of the universe.
