God's Creation

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God's Creation

As Christians, we believe that God created the universe. In many Bible verses, we learn that we are to be stewards of the earth. We hear a lot about climate change, what does that mean, and what should we do?

Climate is not the same thing as the weather. Weather is what happens day to day. It can sometimes be unusually hot, unusually cold, unusually wet, or unusually dry. Climate is about what is "normal" or "average" over a long period of time. We don't expect to have a winter in Minnesota without snow. Once in a while that happens, and now and then we get a whole lot more snow than we expected. Weather can be unpredictable, but over a period of years we have figured out what is most likely to happen, and that typical weather is called the climate.

When we think of climate, we usually think about specific parts of the world. The climate of the rainforests in Brazil is very different from the climate in Minnesota, for example. Scientists also average the weather all over the world to come up with the climate of the earth. Climate naturally changes over time, but that usually happens very slowly over hundreds or thousands of years. When changes in climate happen slowly, plants and animals have time to adapt to the changes.

Scientists agree that in the century since we started to use fossil fuels (gas, oil, kerosene and coal) to create electricity and for transportation, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air has increased and the world as a whole is getting hotter. That's because burning these fuels releases carbon dioxide.

Plants use carbon dioxide, but our industrialized world is creating more carbon dioxide than plants can use, and . When it is left in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide creates a blanket that keeps the heat from the sun from escaping into outer space. It makes the world a warmer place. This change in the climate is happening much faster than ordinary climate changes, and it will make it very hard for plants, animals, and even people to adapt.
As stewards of the earth, we need to be aware of how climate change will affect our world and our own lives. We need to learn as much as we can about what we need to do to protect our planet, and then do what we can, both as individuals and as part of the larger community. We want to make sure that as many plants, animals, and people can successfully adjust to what will probably be a very different world in the centuries to come. Scientists are working hard to understand what the changing climate means, and to find creative ways to both reduce the carbon dioxide we release into the air and perhaps reduce the carbon dioxide that is already in the atmosphere. Because a warming planet means melting glaciers, sea levels are likely to rise, creating risks for cities and communities along the coasts.   Some areas that now produce a lot of food will be under water.   Other places that now produce food will suffer from droughts. We will face many, many problems - some we expect and some that will probably surprise us - because of the fast-changing climate.
God gave us this wonderful world. We all benefit from electricity, and having the freedom to travel that cars, trains, and planes provide us. We need to find a way to continue to enjoy the benefits of technological advances while at the same time protecting the natural world that gives us life. It is our moral duty to take care of our world. By doing so, we honor the Creator. By treating His magnificent Creation as a precious gift, we allow Him to provide all we need, too.

To learn more about climate change:
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website: https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/
     Easy Science for Kids http://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-climate-change/

May 2016

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