In two articles in previous issues of The Christian (“World Food Shortage,” July 2008, and “The Consumption of Food,” March 2011), we alluded to climate change and global warming as being at least one factor with which man has to contend in the twenty-first century. In the years since these articles were written, these issues have moved from the periphery to occupy center-stage in world affairs, and they have begun to dominate many of the political and economic interactions within and between nations.
The Paris Accord
In the years leading up to the signing of the Paris Accord in 2016, the world became more and more concerned, not only about global warming, but also with the alleged side effects of it, such as massive droughts, severe flooding and frequent hurricanes, as well as other extreme weather conditions, such as harsh winter storms and unusual heat waves. With all this before them, the nations of the world came to an unusual agreement, via the United Nations, to draft and sign the Paris Accord, by which they made a pact to work toward lessening the production of greenhouse gases by limiting the use of fossil fuels. The guidelines of the Accord were not legally binding, but meant to be followed up voluntarily by those who signed it.
Needless to say, all this was not without its problems, and it tended once again to bring to the surface the differences between liberals and conservatives. Under former U.S. president Barack Obama, the U.S. signed the Accord, but his successor Donald Trump, within a few months of his taking office, declared on June 1, 2017, that he would withdraw the U.S. from the agreement. His opinion was that the Accord would undermine the U.S. economy, kill jobs and raise energy prices for the average American family. He further alleged that the Accord required the U.S. to pay heavily, as a developed nation, while other nations would stand to reap the benefits. Needless to say, this proposed lack of cooperation by a country as influential as the U.S. caused widespread dismay among other nations in the world. (The U.S. cannot legally withdraw from the Accord until November 4, 2020.)
Only Syria and Nicaragua did not sign the Accord, but other, more major players such as Russia, Iran and Turkey, signed the Accord but have not ratified it. In the meanwhile, greenhouse gases and global warming continue to be a major cause of concern.
Events That Get Our Attention
At the time of the writing of this article, several events have combined to bring global warming to everyone’s attention, but not without controversy. Hurricanes have continued to form and cause serious damage, especially Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the Bahamas in early September 2019, and then proceeded to move toward the continental U.S. But then a far greater event emerged — wildfires burning out of control in the Amazon rainforest. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s pro-business president, has dismissed the fires as being a normal phenomenon that occurs from time to time. He has also tended to encourage the logging off of rainforests, in order to promote farming and, in particular, cattle raising. His seeming indifference to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest has angered many nations around the world.
All this has roused the youth in the world to action, largely spear-headed by a 16-year-old Swedish girl named Greta Thunberg. She has traveled extensively and addressed the United Nations, as well as other national government bodies such as the U.S. Congress. She has been speaking very forcibly to world leaders, demanding that they address global warming and deal with the problem before it is too late. Her words are strong: “We can no longer save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. So, everyone out there, it is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel.” Youth around the world have rallied to the cause, taking to the streets in large numbers to protest what they consider to be an indifference to their future. In the U.K. and Canada, a young people’s movement calling itself “Extinction Rebellion” recently blocked bridges and roads in a number of cities, while similar protests occurred in other countries.
Scientific Data
All this alleged scientific data, which is promoted to support an alarmist attitude to global warming, is not without its detractors. While it is not our intention to discuss the various views on climate change, suffice it to point out that Dr. Rex Fleming, an award-winning scientist formerly associated with the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S.A.) with impressive credentials, has concluded that “CO2 has no impact on climate change.” His contention is that while global warming is a fact, it is the warming that causes CO2 levels to rise, not the other way around. There is also good evidence that the NOAA has “cooked” its data over the years to try and support the alarmist attitude toward global warming. It is a fact that global warming, which has been going on and measured in the U.S. since about 1850 (when data began to be measured), has been steady in a linear graph. The rate of warming has not “spiked” rapidly in the last 40 or 50 years.
We may well ask, What does all this mean for believers? No one would doubt that, in a natural sense, there is cause for concern, even if it is only because the world seems unable to bear its increasing population. More than 80,000,000 people are added to the world population each year, and food production is not keeping pace. The world’s resources can support only so many people. Even if one does not believe that global warming is a serious threat, there is no question that the “human footprint” is tending to strain this world’s ability to support itself, given the pollution of air and water, the difficulty in disposing of waste (especially the plastics problem), and the shortage of water, both for drinking and irrigation. To those whose horizons consist only of this world, the future does indeed look depressing, and their aim is to do whatever they deem necessary to preserve the planet “in perpetuity.”
God Is Left Out
In all of the discussion about climate change, what is noticeably absent is any reference to God’s claims or the fact that it is His world. Man’s objectives are totally for himself, with a view to sustaining a world for his own ends and his own pleasure. God as Creator and God’s plans and purposes are left out of man’s calculations. One of Greta Thunberg’s favorite phrases, addressed to government authorities, is, “How dare you?” This, of course, refers to their alleged indifferent attitude to the damage that she feels is being inflicted on the planet. But no one thinks of how God Himself might well say to man, “How dare you?”
But the believer can rest in three things, all of which enable us to pursue Christ’s interests in this world, while valuing our natural resources and treating them with respect.
First of all, we know that “our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior” (Phil. 3:2020For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:20) JND). The believer’s hopes are beyond this world. Furthermore, we know that this present world will not go on “in perpetuity.” This brings us to our second point.
How the World Will Go On
We know that even if the Lord were to come and call us home today, the world must go on for more than 1000 years, to fulfill the scriptures concerning the tribulation and the millennium. This present world will not end until it is burned up at the end of the millennium, to make way for “a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Peter 3:1313Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13)).
What is happening now with global warming is all in God’s control. If indeed the rate of warming has been a constant steady rise for more than 150 years and possibly longer, it is interesting to note that man would rather assume that he is in control than admit that God is doing something that he does not understand.
Finally, we have God’s promise to Noah, when he and his family came out of the ark, that “while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:2222While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22)).
Despite man’s alarmist attitude, God knows how long this earth has to go on in order to accomplish His purposes. He can and will maintain it, although He may allow climatic events in order to speak to man and warn him of coming judgment. The believer’s place is to act as God’s ambassador, warning man to “flee from the wrath to come,” while walking in peace and trusting the One who upholds “all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:33Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:3)).
W. J. Prost