THE STATE OF THE EARTH – Scientific Evidence and Christian Response

1. THE STATE OF THE EARTH – Scientific Evidence and Christian Response Barry A. Wade, PhD Environmental Solutions Ltd. and Kerry-Ann Green, PhD Chemistry Dept., UWI

2. Spaceship Earth • The earth shows features of both an Open and Closed System. • Open to energy from the sun • Closed to virtually every other input • In this regard it is like a spaceship hurtling through space. • Spaceship Earth is therefore a very apt description.

3. Spaceship Earth • Spaceships are designed and built for Sustainability on long journeys. • They have inputs of energy from the sun and information from the earth. • Its internal systems are designed for Conservation and Reuse. • To fulfill their mission, spaceships have to maintain their systems in precise and balanced states.

4. Spaceship Earth • Spaceship Earth also has to maintain its systems in balance. • It has to do this under conditions of Increasing Consumption of Goods and Services due to increasing Human Populations. • The Goods and Services of earth are its Capital Stock of Natural Resources. • The increasing use and enhancement of Capital Stock is the basis of Human Development

5. Sustainable Development • Development on Spaceship Earth therefore has to be sustained. • This is what is meant by “Sustainable Development” • Sustainable Development requires: • Maintaining ecosystems in balance (Conservation) • Maintaining Production at sustainable yields

6. Sustainable Development Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Two essential concepts of sustainable development are: • The concept of Essential Needs • The idea of Limitations imposed by the nature and extent of the Capital Stock (Natural Resources)

7. Human Needs and Population Growth • The World’s population now exceeds 7 billion people. • By 2020, it will reach 8 billion without signs of its growth slowing down.

8. Population Growth • Most of the population growth is in developing countries (the global south) where Development is an Imperative. • The primary goals of development include Poverty Alleviation, Secure Livelihoods, Good Health, and Improved Quality of Life. • Population growth must be limited by Carrying Capacity which is the ability of the environment to support the population without it being destroyed.

9. Human Needs and Energy • A constant supply of energy is necessary to support life. • All of earth’s energy is derived from the sun, but provided through: (i) Fuels (oil, gas, coal, nuclear, wood, etc) (ii) Solar radiation (iii) Wind (iv) Water (v) Biological Systems

10. Human Needs and Energy • The sun’s energy is best captured on earth by plants which convert solar energy to carbon compounds. • These are converted to various forms throughout the carbon cycle. • Carbon dioxide is a by-product of the carbon cycle.

11. Human Needs and Energy • The increase in energy use (especially but not exclusively fossil fuels) results in an increase in carbon emissions (carbon dioxide, methane etc.) and is reflected in increased concentrations in the atmosphere of the so-called Greenhouse Gases which cause Global Warming.

12. Human Needs and the Atmosphere The Atmosphere consists of: • Gases (Nitrogen, Oxygen, Carbon dioxide, Ozone, etc) • Water • Suspended Particles • Radiation

13. Human Needs and the Atmosphere The atmosphere is a dynamic system of natural and anthropogenic processes.

14. Human Needs and the Atmosphere • Composition of the atmosphere has changed over time. • This is largely responsible for Climate Change now being experienced. • There is also Acid Rain and Depletion of the Ozone Layer.

15. Human Needs and Water Fresh Water is vital for drinking, sanitation, agriculture, industry, urban development, hydropower generation, inland fisheries, transportation, recreation etc.

16. Human Needs and Water In many parts of the world there is widespread Scarcity, Destruction and Increased Pollution of Water Resources due to: • Increasing Waste Discharges • Destruction of Watersheds • Chemical Contamination

17. Human Needs and Water • In the developing world, one person in three lacks safe drinking water and sanitation. • In these nations, an estimated 80% of all diseases and over 33% of deaths are caused by consumption of contaminated water. • Climate change may further strain the already fragile balance between water supplies and demand.

18. Human Needs and Water • The Oceans are an essential part of the global life support system and occupy about 70% of the world’s surface. • They are important for: • Atmospheric balance • Local weather and global climate • Food production • Minerals extraction • Energy • Oceans are under increasing stress from Pollution, Over- fishing, Extreme weather events. • About 70% of marine pollution comes from land sources.

19. Human Needs and Land • Increasing human demand for land and its natural resources is creating Competition, Conflicts, Degradation and Destruction. These result in: • Soil Depletion • Deforestation • Watershed Damage and Destruction • Desertification • Drought

20. Human Needs and Land Increasing Deforestation for crop culture, husbandry, lumber and human settlement is a further threat to food production as well as to climate change.

21. Human Needs and Land Spreading deserts in the world (Desertification) are a great threat to food production and world peace.

22. Human Needs and Biodiversity • The essential goods and services on our planet depend on the variety and variability (Diversity) of genes, species, populations and ecosystems (Biological Resources). • Biological resources provide: Food, Clothing, Housing, Medicines, and Recreation. • Recent advances in biotechnology show that genetic materials have the potential to greatly improve agriculture, health, and environmental protection. • About 4.5% of GDP in the USA is directly attributable to its biodiversity. • The potential in developing countries is much greater.

23. Human Needs and Biodiversity • Biodiversity in virtually every part of the world is in decline. • Deforestation, habitat destruction, over-harvesting, pollution, and invasive species are the main causes.

24. Human Needs and Biodiversity • Loss of biodiversity is directly attributable to population growth and human activity. • What can we do?

25. Global Challenges – Population Growth and Human Activity • Rapid and unplanned population growth is affecting the environment through unanticipated consequences and impacts. • A knowledge of carrying capacity must inform planning for growth and the use of critical natural resources. • Forecasting of impacts is essential for their effective mitigation. • A preferential option for the poor must be a critical consideration factor in allotting resources. • Environmental education at all levels is an imperative. • Incentives may also be used to encourage best practices.

26. Global Challenges – Population Growth and Human Settlements • Half the world’s population now lives in cities and the increasing urbanization of society is one of the pressing global environmental challenges. • Pollution, clean water, good sanitation, warm dwellings, adequate transportation, and meaningful livelihoods are common issues of cities. • Rural/urban drifts, squatting, homelessness and environmental refugees are just some of the settlement problems that require holistic solutions. • Environmental scientists, social scientists and state managers must learn to work together to create secure and sustainable human settlements, especially in developing countries where the problems are greatest.

27. Global Challenges – Climate Change • The evidence of global warming and climate change is now beyond dispute. • Where there is uncertainty is in the nature and extent of its global impacts. • Increase in world temperatures on land and in the sea, sea level rise, and changing climate patterns are just some on the expected impacts. • Secondary impacts include crop failures, coastal flooding (especially on small islands and low-lying coastal regions), animal/plant losses and migrations, and extreme weather events.

28. Global Challenges – Climate Change • Two strategies are needed to respond to the challenges of climate change: • Mitigation through changes in processes and technology • Adaptation by changes in behaviour, at the personal, corporate and national levels. • Do we have the information, understanding, policies and will to implement these strategies?

29. Global Challenges – Food Security • Hunger is a constant threat to many people, and the world’s ability to meet the growing demands for food is uncertain. Map below shows areas of greatest risk. • Sustainable food production will require major adjustments in agricultural, environmental and economic policies. • More energy, better use of plant and animal genetic resources, reduction of loss due to pests and storage, and more equitable distribution of critical food items are some of the major challenges.

30. The Christian Response to the Environmental Challenge Two basic responses based on scripture: • Conservative/Fundamental “….be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air…..” Gen 1:28 • Progressive/Environmental “ …. God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself……and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven.” Col. 1:20

31. Conservative/Fundamental • “Dominion” is interpreted as an invitation to the unchecked and human-centered exploitation of nature. • Any environmental concern is only a distraction from the church’s main mission of evangelism. • One biblical interpretation is that the environment will continue to deteriorate and can only be redeemed at Christ’s second coming. • There is a basic ignorance, misunderstanding, and mistrust of the scientific method of observation, analysis and conclusion.

32. Conservative/Fundamental Influential conservative church leaders have made pronouncements which have global influence: • “Climate change is an invention of scientists to make money” Pat Robertson (700 Club ) • “Those drawing attention to global warming want to economically destroy America…. They want to distract from the fact that the world is morally bankrupt. Worse yet, they want to redirect the church’s focus, distracting it from its core mission.” Jerry Falwell (Leader – Southern Baptist Convention) • “Hurricane Katrina was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans.” John Hagee (Televangelist) (Note: Hagee made no connection between the category 5 hurricane and climate change due to global warming) • “Environmentalists don’t speak the truth and can’t be trusted” R. Robinson

33. Progressive/Environmental • The earth is God’s creation, an expression of His great and awe-inspiring creativity, to be loved, cared for and protected. - “ And God placed the man in the garden to tend and care for it.” Gen 2:15 • Awareness of the state of the environment: • the choice to sin alienates humans from God, each other and has disturbed the relationship with the environment. • “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you.” Gen 3:17 • Humans have a responsibility to know the state of the environment that they are to care for.

34. Progressive/Environmental • Humans are a part of and not above nor apart from the earth/environment. “The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” Psalm 24:1 • We exist in a reciprocal relationship with the environment. • Humans should behave as equal partners, rather than dominators. • Caring for the environment is a stewardship responsibility for all of us.

35. Progressive/Environmental • Advocacy for care, protection and better stewardship of what God has given us. • Seeking justice • “Love the Lord your God with……love your neighbour as yourself….” Mark 12:30-31 • Our neighbours are our contemporaries and our posterity • “For God so loved the world (kosmos = universe), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 • “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, ….; all things have been created through him and for him.” Col. 1:16 • Can anyone love God without loving His creation?

36. Progressive/Environmental • What is God’s salvation? • Jesus is Saviour and Redeemer of all creation – not just human beings. • For the creation was subjected to frustration, ….. in hope thatthe creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Romans 8:20-22 • He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15

37. The Lausanne Congress Cape Town Commitment on the Environment The Cape Town Confession of Faith (2010) is a very clear statement of the biblical mandate in relation to God’s creation. “All human beings are to be stewards of the rich abundance of God’s good creation. We are authorized to exercise godly dominion in using it for the sake of human welfare and needs… As we do so, we are also commanded to care for the earth and all its creatures, because the earth belongs to God, not to us. We do this for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Creator, Owner, Sustainer, Redeemer and Heir of all creation.”

38. The Cape Town Commitment “World poverty and climate change need to be addressed together and with equal urgency. We encourage Christians worldwide to:” • Adopt lifestyles that renounce habits of consumption that are destructive or polluting; • Exert legitimate means to persuade governments … on issues of environmental destruction ….; • Recognize and encourage the missional calling of Christians who engage in agriculture, industry and medicine as well as in protection and restoration of the environment through conservation and advocacy.

39. Conclusion • The scientific evidence of earth’s environmental decline is irrefutable. • The decline is not only ecological but also socio-economic. • Poor people suffer most from the decline. • Christians (and everyone) have a clear mandate to love our neighbours and to care for God’s creation. • Christian awareness and actions for creation care must be informed, practical and focused. • Christians should be leaders in the care of God’s creation. It is a part of our mission on earth.

40. Whom shall I send and who will go? THANK YOU!