This page in brief
For some time now, climate scientists have been warning that the earth is warming and climate will change as a result. This will have significant effects on the earth’s ecology and on millions of people.
Sceptics have fought a rearguard action, firstly denying that change was occurring, and more recently suggesting it is too soon to be sure enough to take costly action. But the facts are against them.
These pages outline the best information I can find on how our climate is changing, who it will effect and what we can all do to make a positive difference.
What has 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 anything that destroys God’s world – and that includes climate change.
And if you want to change the world, in this or any other way, you will surely wish to join in the program that God already has underway. Jesus called it the kingdom of God.
So what are the facts?
Global warming is really occurring. We have seen record-breaking hot weather all around the world and the graphs just keep rising. Check out the latest information in Is global warming really happening?
It is predicted that rising temperatures will lead to increased storm activity and worse droughts and floods in different parts of the world. And it seems that the scientists’ predictions are already coming true – read about it in Extreme weather.
We might wonder Why care about climate change? But the changing weather patterns will affect us all, one way or another. And they will generally affect the world’s poor (who haven’t caused the problem) worst of all.
These changes are not part of a natural cycle. The causes have been identified and it is us – rich countries using fossil fuel at an unsustainable rate. But there is hope. There are remedial actions all of us can take, or support our governments taking. Learn more in Climate change: causes and remedies
My background
I do not come to this question cold. I trained as an engineering hydrologist and worked for many years in the collection and analysis of water and climate data, and the management of rivers and catchments to allow economic and social benefits while protecting their ecology.
I am familiar with analysing climate information, especially water data, and interpreting it. I understand it is highly variable and it is hard to predict the future. But I have read a lot on climate change and discussed it with CSIRO climate scientists. I have tried to interpret the climate change data fairly, and I conclude that the predictions are as accurate as modern science and technology can make them.
Photo: Flickr Creative Commons.
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