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Global Warming For the last 10 years we have been inundated about the dangers of "global warming." In Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, we were told most of Florida will be under water in the foreseeable future. 169 nations have signed, The Kyoto Treaty, promising to reduce the carbon emissions. Is global warming reality or a myth? If it is occurring then why and what can we do about it? Most importantly what can we learn from the Bible about this? Looking up information on the internet I found a web site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They say the temperature of our planet increased by .7 to 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit during the 20th century. The ten warmest years over the last century have been since 1990. However, earth’s climate is always changing. When we talk about the "average temperature" we are admitting the temperature is seldom average. It is usually hotter or colder then the average. Keep in mind that temperature records are pretty limited. Until about 400 years ago records were not kept for most places. For instance, we here in Kentucky had a warm January. How does last January compare to January 1450? We have no idea. We can only compare it to the last one to 200 years. So maintaining the earth is warmer now then it ever has been is to claim something that can not be proven. What we do know is that 900 to 1300 AD Europe, Greenland, and Asia experienced a warmer then usual period. Then from 1400 to 1700 they had what is called "The Little Ice Age." A warmer then average temperature does not prove global warming any more then last April’s record cold spell proves we are entering an ice age. What is causing the warmer then average temperatures? Many scientists talk about "green house gases." These are gases that will allow the sun to enter our atmosphere and then trap the temperature, making the earth warmer. Scientists say our planet is about 33 degrees warmer then it would be without these green house gases. So green houses gases are not necessarily bad, I like the warmer weather. One also has to wonder what the ideal temperature is for this planet. Why would 1890’s weather be better then our current weather. What are some green house gases? Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide are some greenhouse gases. These are produced by nature and animals. Cows burping causes methane, the ocean causes water vapor. Some green house gases are caused by man; aerosol spray, and carbon dioxide to name two. Most of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are due to nature. To put this in perspective, Mount Pinatubo erupted in May, 1994. At that time 20 to 30 megatons of sulfur dioxide and aerosols was put into the atmosphere. "This is more ozone depleting chemicals than humans have been able to generate in all of human history." (Environmentalism: The Deification of Nature, by Dave Miller) One volcano did more damage to our environment than all of mankind has done since the beginning of creation. Man is not nearly as powerful as some believe. Another factor in our climate change is the sun. The intensity of the sun can cause global warming or cooling. Many of us remember the mid 1970’s. From 1975 to 1978 we experienced harsh winters here in Kentucky. At that time people were talking about a new ice age. Now we are having mild winters and people are talking about global warming. Much of the temperature swings has been due to the sun. This gets us to another factor, weather patterns do change and we have cycles. While many places are having warm weather, others are having colder then average temperatures. We are below normal in rain fall, but Oklahoma is above average. Some ice glaciers are melting, while others are increasing. We can not assume the earth is going to turn into a dessert due to our local climate. This reminds me of the four blind men that came across an elephant. One touched the elephant’s trunk and thought it was a rope. Another touched a leg and thought it was a tree. Yet another one touched the side of the elephant and thought it was a wall. The last one felt the tail and thought it was a snake. We can be just as mistaken due to our limited knowledge of the weather. What does the Bible say about this? The Bible does not specifically talk about "global warming" except in the case of 2 Peter 3, "10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." Man will not destroy this world. People will still live here until Christ returns. We do not have to worry about us destroying mankind. We are to be good stewards of what God has given to us. "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4.2). Stewardship is the use of God given resources to accomplish God given goals. We are to take care of our planet. Soil conservation has been good in that it protects our land. Man can harm his environment by recklessly using it up. We need to replant the forest when we cut down trees. At the same time this planet has the ability to refurbish itself. When Mount Saint Helens erupted the north side was totally destroyed. Approximately 23 square miles of material was removed from the mountain. A large forest was gone, animals killed, in what is supposed to have been one of the biggest mudslides in history. Within months vegetation was reappearing as were some animals. As animals returned to the mountain they stirred up the ash and caused more vegetation to grow. The elk population had more then tripled what it was before the eruption by the mid 1990’s. A lot of the ash and lose dirt was washed away by the rain, thus allowing seeds to germinate. What evolutionist say would take millions of years to accomplish took only a few years. God intends us to use this world to provide for ourselves. "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominions over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, And over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1.28). We are not to worship nature or our environment, but we are to use it wisely. Finally, all matter wears out. The fact is many of those that speak of global warming do not believe in God. Their god is this world. Some are willing to trade off human lives for the sake of the environment. This earth had a beginning, Genesis 1. It will also have an ending, 2 Peter 3. Instead of worship the creation we ought to be worshipping the Creator. In closing, I am not saying we are not experiencing warmer then "normal temperatures" or we should not be good stewards of our planet. I am saying we must understand the forces of nature, and realize this world is not eternal but temporal. D.T. |