There is, perhaps, no more pressing an issue that impacts the future of the human race than the debate over global warming. Whether global warming is occurring as part of a natural cycle of the earth or through CO2 emissions introduced into the atmosphere by mankind, has yet to be empirically proven. However, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that mankind’s contribution may be considerable enough to warrant a change in human habits. According to an article written by Rich Deem, atmospheric CO2 levels indicate a spike of 70 ppm—the quickest rise in CO2 levels over the last 650,000 years (2005). The best scientific evidence has been unable to find any natural causes, suggesting that if mankind fails to act, atmospheric CO2 levels will …show more content…
Although defeatists do not share the belief that the physical world is evil, they do believe that the earth “is wasting away," and therefore it "does not matter what one does about the…earth or environment” (Lewis, 2005). Rather than wasting time preserving or protecting the precious resources God has bestowed upon mankind, defeatists believe that the witnessing and saving of souls is a better use of their time (Lewis, 2005). Although it is true that saving souls is the highest priority for all Christians, neglecting to care for God’s creation is not an option Christians have the luxury of deliberating over. Besides, it is not likely that the time salvaged from neglecting to care for the environment would actually be used to save souls. In fact, if the behavior of the majority of American Christianity is any indication, it is probably more likely that both dualists and defeatist would waste their “soul-saving” time in their exclusive Christian circle of friends.
Regardless of whether a Christians hold to a defeatist, dualist, or biblically optimist view, one thing that all Christians should agree on is that all of creation, including the earth, belongs to God. All creatures and all
The issue of Deforestation has been high on the global environmental agenda for many years, and remains a serious problem today. In the tropics and many other parts of the world, nations continue to lose the valuable biodiversity, soil and water conservation, and climate regulation that natural forests provide. Christianity can only address this matter by continuing to combine an acceptance of the command to people to ‘multiply and replenish the earth’ (Genesis 1:28) with a balancing injunction to act as stewards of the environment. Charities such as Christian Ecology Link and World Vision work to increase awareness of the current ecological crisis and encourage adherents to live sustainably and make ‘green’ consumption choices.
Our earthly habitat is not an unexpected occurrence of little worth, but rather, it is one to be highly valued and preserved. The biblical doctrine of creation helps the Christian to understand the true significance of the world in order to deal with the environmental crisis. The Bible says, “For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited…” (King James Version, Isaiah 45:18). In Christian teaching, God not only created Heavens and Earth, but expressed His delight in His creation. This creation meant, everything encompassing the trees, the
I believe that we need to think of the Earth as a gift and a home. We must take care of our Earth but our personal health must come before Earth’s. Lastly, our decision making should be guided by the Bible and my common sense. Our Earth is truly a gift and it is a good gift from God. Genesis 1:31 states, “God saw all that we made, and it was very good”. We need to change the way that we look at the Earth. Normally if we get a really nice gift we treasure it and do our best to protect it. This is the same mindset that we need to have about our land. Secondly, we do need to recognize that we have dominion over the Earth. God created us to take care of the Earth. In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth and then he created man to be stewards of it. It is important not to get to crazy and do things to harm the Earth but we must also remain healthy. Humans come before the land and they always should. Lastly, when living on Earth we must make good decisions. These decisions should be based on what our teachings tell us and our common sense. It is just common sense that cutting down a tree or throwing a wrapper out the yard will harm the Earth. This semester I have learned so much, and thought deeply about many topics. I know that the Earth is a gift and we are so blessed to have this beautiful creation to live in. The many field trips that we went on made me realize many things about our Earth that I didn’t realize. Specifically the wastewater treatment we went on made me realize how much waste we produce and it makes me feel like we are hurting our Earth. Too often people don’t think about the things that they are doing to our Earth. Psalm 8:6 states, “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet”. The Bible states many times in context that we are to care for the Earth we have been
I believe that as a Christian we should be as concerned, if not more so, than any other concerned non-believers. We as Christians, have been given the truth about God, His creation and His will. When it comes to His creation He is very detailed about His plans in creating the earth for His people and His purpose (HCSB. Genesis 1:26-30). Sadly, many Christians have fallen into the category quoted by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." Their time here on earth has been fogged by the aspirations of glory. The contributors of this wasted life is ignorance, greed, and selfishness. Furthermore, our environment suffers for the cause. Nonetheless, this is a major topic of conversation
Christian voice is correcting them or proclaiming the biblical model of man’s relationship to nature which: is unique and superior to the dominant free-market and environmentalist models. . According to Gardner and Stern (1996), in that place are exclusive approaches that have power to be implemented in companionships search to defend the environment. One like approach may take a closer look at holy and regarding duties beliefs and the effects of these beliefs on the environment. The idea to create values and beliefs in environmental issues are important components of having a safer and enjoyable world for its people and the world they live in. Christian and non-Christian, at hand, must see the environment and the shortcoming of business by reason of a proper conversion to an act or purpose of and preservation of the wealth the planet has to support life. Christians as the Bible originate directing the eye to what has to be published by word force in reference to human natures dependence and bounden duty to the nature and its resources. As Christians we should do what ever it takes to make sure this earth glorify God. If we are careless about science and economics — not caring about how they work and what they describe, creation’s economy will suffer (Christians Research Institute).
The natural world is a place of wonderful, beautiful, complex processes forever intertwining and unraveling: cells regenerating and dying, water falling and evaporating with the power to replenish and destroy lives, and each life clinging to the skin of our planet inevitably sees it in a way unique to their own eyes, and their own mind. The Bible is very clear on many, many things about our rich, fascinating earth. God created the earth. in Genesis chapter one God made the earth and set it in motion. He made man in His own image, which is the basis for our special value: we
Creation care is the idea that God calls Christians to care for the Earth. Even though all Christians acknowledge that God created the Earth, not everyone agrees about the responsibilities Christians have for this creation. In Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them, and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” For some, this verse means that God created this Earth so that we can use it how we wish. Even though “dominion” does imply you have control and power over the Earth, it is crucial to understand that this does not mean we are called to destroy this world. God claimed everything he made “was very good” so he would not have wanted for his creation to be destroyed (Genesis 1:31). Instead, this specific role God gives to humans requires respect and appreciative behavior. For, damaging God’s creation would mean insulting the very thing he designed for us.
Despite many Christians, such as Patriarch Batholomew from the Greek Orthodox church who states that ‘For humans to contaminate the Earth’s waters, its land, its air, and its life, with poisonous substances. These are sins’ in an attempt to encourage prioritising environmental protection, climate skeptic Calvin Beisner states that “the Bible teaches that earth and all its subsystems… are the product of a God who is an infinitely wise designer”, reflecting that his personal interpretation of God’s revelation has led to his understanding of the Earth being intelligently design, so that humankind could not potentially destroy it, consequently leading to him not placing priority on the protection of the environment.
This reflects back to the Stewardship of Creation which states that the earth and all life on it are part of God’s creation. We are called to respect this gift. We are response for taking care of the world we live in and for sharing all the wonders and resources the earth gives use.
Global warming has been a controversial topic for years and some have even denied its existence; however, as more studies are being published every day in regards to our changing climate, it is hard to ignore this growing issue and how humans contribute to it. The term greenhouse gases refers to the group of gases that are primarily responsible for global warming and chief among these gases is carbon dioxide. Rising carbon dioxide levels can be attributed to a combination of burning fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum as well as deforestation in general ( Source A). To slow the effects of global warming, it is important for leaders in our society to consider their greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, and make
Climate change is something that affects us all as a human race, and we need to do something about it immediately. Ultimately, climate change is dangerous and upon us more than we realize. While there are some individuals who don't believe it exists at all, there are some who simply believe it is not caused by humans on this planet. My goal for this paper is to make aware the dangers that climate change poses to our planet and the human race. While doing this, I hope to provide fact-based evidence that supports the claim that we, as humans, cause the dangerous phenomena that is climate change and that we need to change our course of action before it is too late.
Climate change or colloquially known as global warming, now pose a new threat to civilization as the levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) are soaring to new levels. The most significant contributor to greenhouse gasses would be Carbon Dioxide (Co2). The levels of Carbon Dioxide (Co2) gas have risen to levels civilization has not seen before. As such, the effects of these levels are not known to civilization as data gathered from the ice cores drilled in the Antarctica only shows data up to 650,000 years ago. However we can conclude that present CO2 concentrations are higher compared to any time in the last 650,000 years (IPCC 2007). Current carbon dioxide concentrations are hovering around 389 parts per million (ppm) as of September 2011,
In recent years, the controversial subject of global warming has been more predominantly brought to our attention. Is the threat of global warming real? Is it man-made or is this just a natural cycle of earth? Does it really affect earth’s inhabitants? Should action be taken against it? If so, what kind and to what extent? It cannot be only a coincidence that the alarmingly rapid climate change coincides perfectly with the increased amount of pollutants that humans release into the environment. The once stable climate has in recent years begun to skyrocket, thus altering the delicate structure of earthly life. This proves to be hazardous to the future of the planet; some people worry that many of the resources the environment provides that
Climate change otherwise known as global warming has been an ongoing issue for decades. Beginning in the 19th century, climate change has increasingly affected Earth and its atmosphere. Rising levels of carbon dioxide are warming the Earth’s atmosphere, causing rising sea-levels, melting snow and ice, extreme fires and droughts, and intense rainfall and floods. Climate change has and will continue to affect food production, availability of water, and can add to many health risks in humans and animals. In fact, in an article by Justin Gillis titled, “Scientists Warn of Perilous Climate Shift Within Decades, Not Centuries” he focuses on a paper written by a former NASA climate scientist, James E. Hansen, explaining the effects of climate change on Earth today. Although many believe Hansen’s theories in the paper are quite far-fetched, the author mentions, “Despite any reservations they might have about the new paper, virtually all climate scientists agree with Dr. Hansen’s group that society is not moving fast enough to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, posing grave risks” (Gillis). Gillis validates the fact that climate change has been rapidly expanding throughout Earth and society has not been able to reduce it fast enough. Many negative risks are being posed and will continue to mount if the issue of climate change is not taken seriously. Although climate change negatively affects nearly all aspects of Earth, it poses a big
The earth is a beautiful and extraordinary planet, but are we treating it right? For the past 20 decades, temperatures have been rising along with hundreds of factors contributing to it. Climate change concerns the public as they wonder if its occurring, how much has occurred in the modern era, what has caused it, what the effects will be if we don’t do anything about it and much more. Many people and scientist agree that mankind is the number one cause of climate change. Humans have influenced this by greenhouse gases, methane nitrous oxide.