The issue of climate change isn't just one that causes splits within scientific circles, it's a topic of controversy within the Christian community as well. While Christians will agree that everyone should respect and care for God's creations, when it comes to climate change there's no clear consensus. The misreporting and misunderstanding of climate issues are partly to blame for why some Christians don't even accept that it's happening, but even among some of those that do, there's still a hesitation when it comes to doing anything about it. Regardless of whether you think climate change is real or not, we could all benefit from taking better care of our environment.
There are many reasons why what's happening to our planet, and its people, should be a cause for concern among believers. Here are just three reasons why climate change should matter to Christians.
Looking after the planet is an outward display of our love for God's creation
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it," Psalm 24:1
How can we accept that God created the world, marvel at his work and simultaneously show a complete disregard for it through our actions? Our world is a gift from God and we should treat it with the respect that it deserves. Caring for the planet and protecting it from the implications of our excessive consumption, pollution and draining of the earth's resources is one way to put our appreciation of God's creation into action.
We can make a difference
Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground," Genesis 1:26
When God gave us dominion over the earth, it wasn't so that we could exploit and destroy it. An issue like climate change can seem as if it's too big for us to have any chance in combatting but that's not the case. There's still time for us to do something about it and prevent some of the irreversible changes like the dangerous rise in the planet's temperature. From reducing our waste and cutting our carbon footprint to campaigning for a shift to sustainable energy, every one of us can do something to help.
Caring for creation and caring for others go hand in hand
Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered, Proverbs 21:13
Some of us are yet to be directly affected by climate change, but the impacts are already being felt by those in some of the poorest parts of the world. Extreme weather increases the frequency and ferocity of floods, droughts and changeable seasonable patterns, which in turn wipes out homes, crops and communities. When these events take place in places where people are already living in poverty, the aftermath is devastating. As Christians, we have a duty to help those in need and taking action to reverse and reduce the destructive consequences of climate change is an important way of doing that.
