The Noahic Covenant: Climate Change and Justice
This month, we return to Genesis 9. We will study the central question: what are the implications of living out the Noahic covenant in the age of human-influenced climate change?
In March, we learned that the covenant God makes with Noah promises the redemption of all creation - the birds in the air, the plants and animals on terrestrial ecosystems, and the animals and plants of the ocean ecosystems. All creation has intrinsic worth and value to God. The Noahic covenant also reminds us that the role of human beings is to exercise dominion by managing the environment well and contribute to creation’s flourishing, despite the challenges of working within the reality of sin. Theologian Dr. Tony Snow also reminds us that properly interpreting Genesis 9 means that creation is not to be exploited.
However, we are at a crossroads. Efficient oil and gas energy usage beginning in the early 20th century has enabled human civilization to develop to unprecedented levels. Using oil and gas as the energy source for heating, transportation, industrial use, manufacturing, and more has brought us our modern day conveniences and comforts, and have facilitated travel, communication, commerce, and knowledge exchange.
However, as a society, we are collectively experiencing what sociologists call, “the lottery winners’ curse”. Like lottery winners who instantly gratify their own desires, who do not prepare for the future, and who only take a short-term view of enjoying their newfound wealth, we are doing the same to creation. Using oil and gas as a cheap source of energy has enabled our society to consume the earth’s natural resources at a pace that is unsustainable and to efficiently exploit creation. Annually, we now overshoot our demand on nature.
Climate change is the latest symptom of the imbalance in our relationship with creation.
Climate change is a justice and a humanitarian issue. Figure 1 (above) is commonly known as the “champagne glass diagram”. It shows that the 10% of the world’s people (the richest ones) are responsible for 75% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution, due to lifestyles that are characterized by high levels of consumption. Global annual GHG pollution grew by 60% between 1990 and 2015, and the world’s richest 5% were responsible for 37% of the growth in GHG pollution (Oxfam Canada, 2020).
By contrast, countries with the world’s poorest populations contribute the least to climate pollution. However, they are the most vulnerable to disruptive climate-change-induced severe weather events. When I attended the 2019 UN climate conference, I met Christians from the Pacific Islands and other small island countries. Their countries have caused less than 1% of global climate pollution but they were experiencing many climate-change-induced disasters such as hurricanes and typhoons that destroyed their churches, homes, and villages.
I live in Canada, a wealthy country whose climate pollution continues to increase. The wealthiest 10% of our population are responsible for 25% of GHG pollution, due to materially rich lifestyles, which include owning several homes and multiple vehicles, flying for multiple international vacations, and consuming luxury goods and services. The poorest 50% of the Canadian population causes the same amount (25%) of GHG pollution as the wealthiest 10%. However, they are also most vulnerable to disruptive climate-change-induced disasters, including heat waves and flooding.
Ultimately, climate change is a justice issue - the poor and vulnerable should not bear the consequences of pollution caused by the rich. The Noahic Covenant emphasizes that all people and all creation matter to our Creator God. We will see in our Bible study that there are many sections that speak to paying fair prices for what we consume, using honest scales and weights, and ensuring that we do not cheat the poor. God wants to see the poor and vulnerable being shown mercy and creation being restored.
Therefore, addressing the imbalances between rich and poor and to creation is crucial to restoring our planet and addressing climate change.
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Go Deeper: Read Yale Climate Connections’ article on climate justice here: https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/07/what-is-climate-justice/
Pray:
God of justice, hear the cry of your injured Creation, and grant that we might find the resolve to do what is fair. Hear the cry of the poor, who are the first to bear the cost of the toxins pouring into Your air and atmosphere. We pray for the sake of the One who brought good news to the poor and sick. Amen.
Choose one of our other prayer items and join us in praying for bold climate action: https://www.theearthkeepers.org/yearofprayer
Take Action:
Pick one habit to live more sustainably and work on it over the next month. You can check out the Minimalist Vegan’s 100+ tips to get started: https://theminimalistvegan.com/live-a-more-sustainable-lifestyle/