Y Safle

In a recent sermon at our Church, Professor Sir John Houghton - former co chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) spoke on how he believed it was a Christian duty to be involved in protection of our environment.

Now this is something I have held to be true for a long time, but it makes for a better article if I can point out that a scientist and Christian of the distinction of Houghton is making this point, and not some faceless blogger. Or maybe it is just fun to name-drop.

But to judge by some conversations I have had in the past, you would think that some Christians believed virtually the opposite to be true, so here is why I think Christians should be concerned about the global warming issue:

Reason 1.

Way back in the 1970s a man called E.F. Schumacher wrote a book called “Small is Beautiful”. This book is wonderful in its breadth of insight. Schumacher points to the problems with foreign aid that does not address the roots of the problems that cause the aid to be necessary, although he argues very much for an increase in foreign aid that builds communities of appropriate sizes (thus the book’s title). His commitment to the poor is profound and exemplary.

But it is Schumacher’s clear sighted recognition of a major problem of our energy policy that is important here. Schumacher realises that oil is limited (not as limited as he thought perhaps, but still clearly limited). He argues that the world is merrily squandering this energy as though it would be available forever, whereas he points out that the oil economies will be short lived.

In economic terms we are spending capital as though it were revenue.

The purpose of capital expenditure should be the building of a sustainable infrastructure. Schumacher does not say we should not use oil, but that when we use it, we should do so to build a sustainable future.

This kind of prudent attitude fully accords with a Christian viewpoint, that would see the availability of oil as a gift of God given to us. In the parable of the talents, it is those who take the talents (whatever they are afforded) and use these wisely who are rewarded. To squander our oil reserves for no gain is poor stewardship fed by crass greed.

Reason 2.

In Romans 12:1-2, We are told that we should present our bodies (all of our lives) as a living sacrifice to God as an act of worship. We should not follow the ways ofthis world, but should live our lives as an act of homage to God.

Paul tells us to be a follower of himself as he is a follower of Christ. Christ (and the apostles) lived lives of beautiful simplicity. They did not accrue things to themselves. They did not value one another by what they had. Our spiritual act of worship should follow that of Christ.

The Christian life should be one of ascetisism. We need not all go live in monastries with vows of poverty - that is not what I mean. But a Christian life that sees consumption as a good thing, simply because it is possible, seems to me to be quite errant.

Reason 3.

People are going to die from climate change. Not so much those who cause global warming, but those who are powerless - the poor of this world. We don’t know exactly what will happen yet, but we know there will be desertification, flooding, worse storms and scuh like. Pacific islanders are already beginning to lose their homelands, and we could see many of these people becoming refugees. Extinctions will cause some economies to collapse (for instance in Northern Canada when the polar bears die out).

Global warming will kill people. Christians are quick enough to worry about issues such as abortion, where unseen people are killed by thoughtless actions. How is this different? If Christians are complicit in an agenda that sees more people being killed by the effects of global warming, then we are responsible for it too.

Sir John Houghton is right. The Christian duty is to protect and steward our environment - just as we were commanded by God to do.