Climate Care: Stewarding Creation for God and Others
A clear winter day in Canada is a sight to behold. To see light, powdery snow covering the mountains, evergreen trees piercing the sunny skies, and to breathe in fresh, crisp air as one walks through the snow is always inspirational for me.
God calls creation good (Genesis 1), and in the Biblical account, creation has its own dignity beyond its usefulness to humanity. The earth’s ecosystems give life by cleaning the air, filtering water, and providing habitat for plants, animals, and humans. The earth’s natural oceanic, atmospheric, and land-based ecosystems also have the ability to store carbon dioxide, at a rate of 9.5 Gigatons per year. God commands us to abad and shamar, to steward and protect the earth (Genesis 2). The Bible is clear that humans are not owners, but stewards that are entrusted by God to responsibly manage the earth and its resources.
Humanity’s current addiction to using fossil fuels and overall poor stewardship of the earth is resulting in a climate crisis. Since the Industrial Revolution, the burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas) has increased, and the world now emits 36 Gt of carbon emissions annually. This is beyond creation’s capacity to capture carbon through its natural systems.
This excessive carbon in the earth’s atmosphere causes the greenhouse gas effect, which makes the average earth surface temperatures warmer. This warming affects all of earth’s ecosystems. It also intensifies wildfires, cyclones and hurricanes, and exacerbates droughts and floods. In 2019, there were over 15 incidents of climate-change-exacerbated disasters with damages over $1 trillion each. These disasters disproportionately affect the poor by destroying homes and crops, or by bringing back diseases like dengue fever.
Climate science states that this next decade is crucial to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Carbon neutrality means restoring the balance between greenhouse gas emissions and the earth’s natural ability to absorb carbon. Shifting away from oil, gas, and coal towards renewable energy in energy production, transportation, manufacturing is essential to reducing climate pollution. Reforestation and protecting sensitive ocean areas is the other key to restoring creation.
Last year, I was an observer at the United Nations 25th Climate Change conference. I heard from pastors in the Pacific Islands preparing congregations for sea level rise; youth from South America concerned about water shortages in the Andes resulting from warmer temperatures; and pastors caring for the elderly who lost homes in Hurricane Sandy and Ivan. Christians can live out love for creation and love for their global neighbors in three ways. The first is to learn about climate change and to share that information with family and friends. The second is to pray for courage by governments, corporations, and society to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. The third is to get involved in organized action with groups such as The Citizens’ Climate Lobby or Young Evangelicals for Climate Action.
The climate crisis is real, and our love for God, Creation, and our neighbors compels us to act.
Author: Monica Tang is a founding member of Earthkeepers: Christians for Climate Justice, an education and advocacy group based in Canada.