Climate change

I’ve been intending for a while starting a new section on Is there a God? about making a difference in the world. Finally, the baby’s born!

The first topic is climate change.

Don’t go away just yet. Even if you’re not all that interested, please check out the rest of this post to see why it’s important.

The heat is on!

The data is fairly conclusive. The world really is warming at an unprecedented and alarming rate. The last decade was the hottest ever recorded, and 9 of the hottest 10 years on record occurred since 2000. Get the facts at Is global warming really happening?

Extreme weather

The warming of the earth has four clear effects on weather:

1. A change in weather patterns.
2. A rise in ocean water levels.
3. Increasing melting of ice.
4. More extreme weather events – fiercer storms, larger floods, longer droughts.

Read more at Extreme weather

Why we should be concerned

These weather effects will affect everyone on earth in some way.

In the western world, valuable seaside property will be at risk. All over the world, some farming land will become drier and less productive – this will be disastrous in North Africa. Meanwhile, some poorer countries will be adversely affected by increased floods and cyclones, or rising water levels flooding low-lying areas.

Get more information at Why care about climate change?

Causes and remedies

The main cause of rising world temperatures is the increased concentration of several gases in the atmosphere which now retains more of the sun’s heat. No natural process can explain the sudden rise in temperatures in the last half century, and scientists are confident that the main cause is human activities such as energy generation, transport and agriculture.

So if we want to avert the worst of the disasters predicted, we must be more energy efficient. One of the main things you and I can do is to support action by our governments. Read more at Climate change: causes and remedies

Don’t believe the sceptics

This is established science, accepted by the majority of climate scientists from all over the world. Most of the sceptical information I have seen is seriously flawed. We cannot afford to be delayed in taking action by these mistaken arguments.

What’s climate change got to do with God?

If there’s a God and he created this world, we may believe he wants us to look after his property. So believers should care about climate change.

And those who want to change the world, in this or any other way, may wish to join in the program that God already has underway. Jesus called it the kingdom of God.