The world’s eyes transfixed on the late June temperature highs in the Pacific Northwest and the Prairies. Experts link a “heat dome” to changes in the jet stream brought on by climate change.
Missed Opportunity
On June 27th, REVwords focused on the impending effects of a heat dome in Alberta. BC was literally on fire. All time daytime and overnight temperature records were falling across the province. The dome was coming our way. My post was intended to be a cooling response to rising temperatures over the weather and Canadian race relations.
One of our readers sent me a thoughtful email.
“Always enjoy your RevWords. I do think that you missed an opportunity with this weeks offering as you failed to mention climate change and the fact that we are destroying our God given environment with fossil fuels. The fact that people may get more irritated in the heat pales in comparison. I believe that this is one of the biggest failings as a society. You would think that Christians would be leading the charge of reform and not living in some world of denial and complacency.”
“Canada had a temperature of nearly 50 C. Without human-induced climate change, it would have been almost impossible …as the chances of natural occurrence is once every tens of thousands of years.”
Observations
Common to the COVID pandemic, climate change, and Canadian race relations in particular, is the impression that Christians are uninformed, stuck in denial or careless in failing to lead change.
There is so much information available from a multitude of experts. Who do you trust on climate change?
I have long settled on Dr Katharine Hayhoe as my go to for climate change info. What we have in common is a Christian faith, the belief that science and faith are allies, and facts are our friend.
She calls climate change “one of the most pressing issues we face today.”
I believe her.
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe
Dr Hayhoe is a Canadian, born in Toronto, working in Texas. She is an atmospheric scientist.
In 2015 she was named one of the Huffington Post’s 20 Climate Champions.
Her research currently focuses on establishing a scientific basis for assessing the regional to local-scale impacts of climate change on human systems and the natural environment.
She doesn’t accept global warming on faith. “The data tells us the planet is warming; the science is clear that humans are responsible; the impacts we’re seeing today are already serious; and our future is in our hands. As John Holdren once said, “We basically have three choices: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. We’re going to do some of each. The question is what the mix is going to be. The more mitigation we do, the less adaptation will be required, and the less suffering there will be.”
Change
Dr Hayhoe says, “What means the most to me personally is when just one person tells me sincerely that they had never cared about climate change before, or even thought it was real: but now, because of something they heard me say, they’ve changed their mind.”
Maybe the next someone will be you.
I’d love to hear your opinion on climate change. Please join the conversation by posting a comment at the bottom of this page. Looking forward to learning together.
Read part 2 on this subject in Is It Hot Enough For You?
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Unfortunately I believe that adaptation is the choice of most governments and people as the cost of mitigation is more than we are willing to agree to which ultimately will result in significant more suffering than we bargained for. I fear for our children and our children’s children if we don’t change attitude and action across the board.
Climate change is one of those critical issues that loom so large its hard to know where to start and what an individual can do about it. My life purpose is to serve God and love people. Being well informed and acting responsibly on climate change is a way to accomplish that purpose. God has enough love for people, the planet and all of creation.
Thanks for starting the conversation, Ernie. I am working with pastors to make disciples of Jesus in local churches. The cost of discipleship is high. The cost of not making disciples is far greater. Seems to be the same with climate issues. There are things we cannot control about the changes to the climate, but there are many within our power. Conversation. Information. Action. That is our hope. A long obedience in the same direction.
I totally agree that global warming is occurring, it has occurred in the past, and human activity is a factor. However, I think God may smile when world leaders vote at a meeting how many degrees it can rise 🙂
Thank you for joining the conversation. I know what you mean about God smiling.