An Overlooked Aspect of the Climate Change Debate
A commentary by Mike Bennett
UCG editorial content manager
Posted December 10, 2009
 On
Monday the UN climate change conference began in Copenhagen with 192 countries
represented. About 100 world leaders are expected to attend various parts
of the two-week conference intended to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which
expires in 2012.
An international survey commissioned by the BBC found
that "64% of people questioned said that they considered global
warming a very serious problem—up 20% from a 1998 poll."
But the recent so-called "ClimateGate" scandal
has led to "widening concern about the state of climate science" that "could
jeopardize any agreement at this week's summit in Copenhagen," said
CBS correspondent Declan McCullagh. "To be sure, many—perhaps
even most—climate researchers say any flaw in the leaked data
assembled by the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research
Unit (CRU) does not mean the theory of man-made global warming is false.
Nicholas Stern, chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate
Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, calls evidence
for that theory 'overwhelming,'" Mr. McCullagh wrote.
Still, a Rasmussen
Reports survey shows many Americans are not convinced. Over half
think it is likely that some scientists have falsified research data,
and 35 percent believe it is "very likely." Also 49 percent
think the United Nations is not a reliable source of information on
global warming.
Besides these doubts, economic realities and different priorities between
industrialized and developing countries seem likely to limit the final
agreements of the conference.
But in all the debate, is there an important aspect of climate change
that is being totally overlooked? The Bible talks about a cause of future
climate change that no scientific model can predict and that no amount
of debate can debunk. The core of the Bible teaching is simple, but
the future predictions are earthshaking.
Cause and effect
One of the key lessons of the Bible is the lesson of cause and effect.
There's the farming analogy that says you reap what you sow (Galatians
6:7). The wisdom of Proverbs 26:2 tells us that "a curse without
cause shall not alight." And two long chapters in the books of
Moses spell out the causes of blessings and the causes of curses (Leviticus
26 and Deuteronomy 28).
These blessings and curses include physical things like good or bad
weather and agricultural abundance or famine. Interestingly, the cause
of these climate changes goes far beyond our decisions about how to
treat the environment. God says the blessings and curses are the consequences
of whether we obey His laws (Deuteronomy 28:1, 15).
Part of God's commands deal with how we care for His earth, and
God is angry with those who destroy the earth (Genesis 2:15; Revelation
11:18). But God tells us that how we treat each other and how we treat
Him is also a part of the cause-and-effect equation. Sin—disobedience
to God's laws—will lead to disastrous climate changes.
Punishment for sin
The mysterious book of Revelation is full of warnings of end-time plagues
brought about because of humanity's rejection of God. The calamities
predicted include the death of "every living creature in the sea" and
the sun scorching people with "great heat" (Revelation 16:3,
9).
Sadly, God tells us that these plagues on the physical environment
are necessary to wake people up to the evil effects of sin.
But thankfully the God who sends these plagues will also reverse them,
and will create a beautiful new environment in which to start over.
In the Kingdom of
God under Jesus Christ's rule, the nations of the world will
learn not only to care for the environment, but to obey the spiritual
laws that create a peaceful climate between people and with God. The
prophet Isaiah pictured it like a return
to Eden, with hunger and disease removed and joy and gladness in
their place (Isaiah 51:3; 35:1-2, 5-7)
  For a deeper understanding of God's warnings for the end time
and the hope He offers on beyond, read Are
We Living in the Time of the End? More details are available
in "The
Destruction of Satan's Kingdom" from the booklet The
Book of Revelation Unveiled.
Related Resources
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need a one-world government. But who can be trusted to be fair, truthful
and benevolent to all the world?
Our
Amazing Spaceship Earth
Scientists have spent multiple years and billions of dollars searching for life
elsewhere in the universe, only to find that earth alone not only teems with
life, but seems to be expressly designed for life. An amazing intelligence seems
to be behind it all. What is that intelligence telling us?
Going
Green: The Story Behind the Story
Global warming has become a major concern of many environmentalists. Will
mankind's efforts to protect our planet be successful?
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