The spectre of climate change, global warming and ‘the greenhouse effect’ haunts every newspaper and most current affairs programmes. There is no doubt that our climate is changing. But what does this mean to us as Christians?

This article will, in the first place, lay the biblical framework by which we can assess our role and responsibility to the created order. In the second place, it will give concise analysis of the possible causes, the definite impacts and some basic precautions.

Biblical Principles⤒🔗

Dealing with 21st-century environmental issues requires the careful application of Scriptural principles. The created order is intimately tied up with God’s purposes for the salvation of mankind and therefore follows the biblical pattern of creation, fall and redemption.

Creation←↰⤒🔗

1. The Created Order is Good←↰⤒🔗

Repeatedly, God proclaims that His creation is good (Genesis 1:10,12,18,21,25,31). Its goodness is reflected in its biodiversity, sensory appeal and plenty.

The Bible begins by asserting that ‘God created the heavens and the earth’. The origin of the created order is to be found neither in matter nor in nothing, but in God. Furthermore, God sustains all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). Since the created order finds its source and sustenance in God, we must conclude that it is valuable to Him and has an intrinsic positive value in itself. The first two chapters of Genesis, taken together with Psalm 104, force us to adopt a theocentric position, as opposed to either a biocentric (Eastern religion) or an anthropocentric (an abuse of monotheism) position. The Book of Job and Psalm 104 shed light on God’s pleasure in His created order, helping us understand that the natural world is not merely for human use.

The created order belongs to God. As human beings we must not be so arrogant as to snatch ownership from its maker. Our relationship to the environment is therefore primarily a theological issue.

2. Man is a Part of Nature and Apart from Nature←↰⤒🔗

The heading of this section was famously coined by the Christian geneticist Prof. R.J. Berry. Mankind is part of the created order. He is created on the same day as the animals; he is created from the dust of the earth; he lives in the Garden. We cannot damage the created order without damaging ourselves.

However, mankind is also unique. God also makes man ‘as’ His image (Genesis 1:28). We are to regard ourselves as those whom God appoints to rule in His stead. We are His stewards, set apart from ‘nature’ on behalf of the God who declares its goodness and finds pleasure in it.

3. Stewardship Does Not Mean Status Quo←↰⤒🔗

Man is created and given three commands – fill, subdue and rule. Stewardship does not mean stagnant preservation. In the New Testament parable of the talents, the manager who merely preserves his talent is condemned (Matthew 25:14-30).

God calls us to conserve and manage, not merely to preserve. This implies the careful management of habitats, but taken in connection with the other commands God gave to mankind (fill, subdue, rule), the function of the steward is to manage environmental change.

4. Dominion Does Not Mean Domination←↰⤒🔗

The anthropocentric view of many Christians has often substituted domination for dominion. God does not command us to act as tyrants or despots. Dominion implies responsible kingship (in the mould of King David and his greater Son Jesus – Psalm 72:8; Psalm 110:2).

In summary, therefore, we live in God’s world. We are stewards of God’s world. We will be held accountable for our management of the earth.

Fall←↰⤒🔗

The Fall of mankind through sin devastated the earth. God’s curse of the earth means that ‘nature’ does not work as it should. Similarly, mankind’s abuse of the created order is a manifestation of his sinfulness. Behind the creation narratives, the rest of the Pentateuch gives us the clearest teachings about God’s concern for earth ethics. These include the Sabbath and Jubilee Principles of Exodus 20 and Leviticus 25, which reinforce our responsibility for good land management. Both practices promote biodiversity and restoration of the soil. The Pentateuch is full of ‘odd’ commands concerning the treatment of wildlife (e.g. Deuteronomy 22:6-7, 25:4; Exodus 23:19), many of which are concerned with the fruitfulness of species. For the prophets, the moral failures of God’s people are reflected in the fertility and fruitfulness of the land (Hosea 4:1-3). Loss of habitat and ecological disaster are functions of mankind’s sinfulness.

Redemption←↰⤒🔗

The New Testament reinforces creation teaching. The very fact that we talk at all of the man ‘Jesus’ is testament to God’s commitment to the created order. One common objection to Christian environmentalism is that since this world is doomed to destruction, we must focus only on our spiritual lives.

However, God showed enough concern for the material to become material Himself. Christian pietism is no excuse for environmental sin. Romans 8:18-22 reinforces the function of the created order. At the present time, the whole creation groans because it was created to glorify God and yet, because of the sinfulness of mankind, it cannot fully fulfill its purpose.

The Science of Climate Change←⤒🔗

Reading the daily newspapers and watching television makes us very aware of the warming of the climate not only in the UK but in virtually all parts of the world. The origin of Climate Change, and thus the warming of the planet, is the consequence of what is known as the Greenhouse Effect.

Cause of Climate Change←⤒🔗

Radiation from the sun passes through the earth’s atmosphere. This energy passes through the atmosphere and heats the surface of the Earth. Some of that energy returns to the atmosphere, but not all of it makes it through a layer of gases that covers the earth like the glass of a greenhouse. The best known of the greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, CO2. On average, about one third of the solar radiation that hits the earth’s atmosphere is reflected back into space. Of the remainder, some is absorbed by the atmosphere, but most is absorbed by the land and the oceans, leading to the warming of both land and sea.

Over the last 250 years or so, since the industrial revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as a result of burning of fossil fuels (gas, oil and coal), has steadily increased. The increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide has been exacerbated by the burning of forests, which results in the formation of more carbon dioxide. Records of the earth’s previous climates reconstructed from ice cores confirm that the carbon dioxide and methane concentrations are higher than at any time for at least 650,000 years. This warming trend will increase the likelihood of more frequent and intense heat waves, droughts and rainstorms, as has been experienced recently in many parts of the world.

Key Impacts of Climate Change←⤒🔗

Some claim that sea levels are expected to rise by over 40 centimetres by 2080 because of thermal expansion of the oceans as the temperatures rise and because of melting of land ice. The Himalayan glaciers, which regulate the water supply to the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Thanlwin, Yangtze and Yellow rivers, are believed to be retreating at a rate of about 10-15m each year. In a few decades this situation will change and the water level in rivers will decline, meaning massive eco and environmental problems for people in western China, Nepal and northern India. Glaciers are retreating in every part of the planet. Africa is expected to experience significant reductions in cereal yields, as are the Middle East and India. In some areas, water resources for drinking and irrigation will be affected by reduced rainfall or as ground water in coastal zones suffers from salination as sea levels rise. A report from Tearfund raises the spectre of hundreds of millions of environmental refugees and says the main reason will be the effects of climate – from droughts and water shortages, from flooding and storm surges and from sea-level rise. The impact of climate change on some wildlife will be catastrophic even with little further change in the climate. Up to a third of land-based species could face extinction by the middle of the century (RSPB).

No one disputes that Earth’s climate is changing or that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased as a result of human activities. The concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are higher now than at any time during the last 420,000 years.

Overwhelming scientific evidence supports the conclusion that observed changes in the global climate are, in large part, due to human activities and primarily related to fossil fuel consumption patterns. Without urgent action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the Earth will become warmer by 2050 than at any time in the last 10,000 years.

Working to Reduce Climate Change←⤒🔗

A major problem facing the world is how to generate electricity cleanly. Historically it has been generated in coal-fired power stations. This is a ‘dirty’ process, not just because of the enormous amount of CO2 that is produced, but also because sulphur dioxide is produced, which is responsible for acid rain, as well as the fact it is produces a lot of particulates. An alternative is to find ways of generating electricity that do not involve the generation of carbon dioxide, using sources that do not involve the formation of carbon dioxide. Such sources are referred to as renewables. Nuclear power can be used, but this is not popular with the public, though it does not produce CO2. There are a number of different types of renewable energy: wind power, wave and tidal power, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, solar energy, biomass and use of biofuels.

Likewise, there is much that the individual can do to reduce their ‘Carbon Footprint’ – even things as simple as turning down their central heating slightly, filling the kettle with only as much water as they need, and ensuring that ‘gadgets’ are not left on standby can make a difference.

The topic of Climate Change has provoked much discussion in the media and continues to be hotly debated. This paper has taken the view that it must be taken seriously by the Christian church. We have been given the mandate to subdue the earth. We must exercise our stewardship of the environment wisely.