Part 5: Ethics

The Environment

SEA LEVELS ARE RISING. Polar bears are dying. Air is becoming increasingly polluted. Floods, fires, droughts, and storms are increasing at unprecedented rates. If we don’t make drastic changes in our approach to the climate, billions of people will die and civilization will likely end within a decade. According to student activist Greta Thunberg, climate change warrants a radical response: “I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. . . . I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.”[1]

Does this doomsday scenario concern you? There’s a decent chance it might. After all, your generation cites climate change as the most important issue facing the world today.[2]

Quite obviously, what you think about climate change has huge implications for your daily life. If the world is going to end within a decade, then many of you reading this won’t even make it to your thirties! You probably won’t get married. You certainly won’t have grandkids. If we are really causing irreversible damage to the environment and the world is ending within a decade, then why plan for the future? Live for the moment! Furthermore, should we be surprised that there is an increase in depression and anxiety when your generation is told the world is ending soon?

Caring for the environment we live in is not an unimportant issue, and we must think about it carefully. But as we approach it, let’s begin by pointing out two positions in the climate change debate we’d be wise to avoid.

Climate Change Alarmism

The bleak picture offered above is a good example of what we can call climate alarmism, and fortunately, there is good reason to question it. Facts have to be twisted to support the narrative that “our house is on fire,” as Thunberg claims. Consider a few examples that undermine this doomsday narrative:

• California fires: Is climate change the primary factor for increased fires in California? The story is not that simple. While climate change may play a role, human behavior–such as population increase and forestry development–is statistically more significant.[3] What that means is that even if there is slight change in the California climate, the key reason for increased fires is not the climate change itself (whatever the cause may be) but how humans have, and have not, responded.
• Polar bears: National Geographic created a now-famous video of an emaciated, dying polar bear set to sad music. The caption read, “This is what climate change looks like.” In reality, claims that polar bear populations would radically diminish have not materialized, and some climate alarmists have admitted this.[4]
• Whales: Despite common perceptions and claims, no species of whales is at risk of extinction. The whale population has increased substantially over the past few decades.[5]

Climate alarmism is nothing new. As a kid, I remember reports that the world was entering another ice age. Now we hear about global warming! The United Nations released a report that said governments “have a ten-year window of opportunity to solve the greenhouse effects before it goes beyond human control.”[6] When did the UN release this report? 1989.

Don’t believe climate alarmists. The world is not ending soon because of climate change.

Climate Change Denial

Does this mean we shouldn’t be concerned about climate change or the environment? Absolutely not! On the opposite side of climate alarmism is climate change denial. There is no debate that Earth’s climate has naturally changed throughout its history, and sometimes dramatically. Scientists are increasingly confident that climate change occurs today and that humans are playing a role. The important questions they’re asking have to do with the amount humans contribute to climate change and what kinds of measures, if any, we should take to lessen it.

Apart from climate change alarmism and climate change denial, thoughtful Christians can take different positions on the causes, effects, and solutions to climate change. While we may disagree over the details, all Christians should agree that we should care for creation and be willing to follow the truth wherever it leads.

God’s Mandate: Care for Creation

Genesis 1–2 tells us that God created the world (1:1), called it good (1:31), and put humans in charge of stewarding it (1:26-30). Stewardship involves delighting in God’s creation but also protecting, preserving, and ruling over what God has made. It involves harvesting crops, building roads for transportation, cutting down trees to make homes, and making things like clothes and smartphones. One way we love God is by caring for his beautiful creation, and we love our neighbors by protecting the environment that we all inhabit.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field. He taught that the lilies are more beautiful than Solomon in “all his glory” (Matthew 6:28-29). If God cares about these things and delights in the beauty of creation, shouldn’t we?

Animals matter to God too. Adam named the animals as part of his authority over them but also as a recognition that humans should care for them. Deuteronomy 5:14 says to give livestock a rest on the Sabbath because it is part of caring for them. Proverbs 12:10 says, “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast.”

Some Christians are reluctant to embrace creation care. If God is going to return in judgment, and the Earth will be destroyed, what’s the point? Some cite 2 Peter 3:10 in support of this view, which seems to indicate that on his return, Jesus will “burn” and “dissolve” heavenly bodies, and the Earth will be “done.”

But two things can be said in response. First, even if God is going to destroy Earth in a future judgment, it doesn’t follow that we shouldn’t care for it now. Our physical bodies will decay and die someday, but does that mean we can abuse them in the present? Of course not. Second, it is likely that Peter is not referring to the physical Earth being destroyed but to the sinful world order we live in. God is going to destroy the evil that pervades our world, not the world itself.[7]

Avoiding Two Worldview Mistakes

A biblical view of creation helps us avoid two worldview mistakes. The first is to adopt deism, which is the view that God created the world but is not involved in it anymore. The Bible portrays God as being deeply involved with the world. Psalm 104 describes God making springs gush forth in the valleys, causing the grass to grow, and planting trees.

The second mistake is to adopt pantheism, which views everything as part of the divine. Pantheists see “God” and the universe as one. This often leads to treating trees and plants as sacred and worshiping “Mother Earth.” In Genesis 1:1, God speaks creation into existence. God and creation are separate. Look at this simple chart that portrays how much greater God is than creation:

Worshiping creation rather than the Creator is not only foolish—it’s idolatry.

The Religion of Apocalyptic Environmentalism

There are certainly many people who have accepted doom-and-gloom scenarios about the climate. The media deserves some of the blame, as do politicians.

But I believe there’s a bigger reason: environmentalism, and especially climate hysteria, acts as a religion for many people. According to Michael Shellenberger, “apocalyptic environmentalism” has replaced traditional religion in the West. In the Christian tradition, humans have failed to be in proper relationship with God. In apocalyptic environmentalism, humans have failed to be in proper relationship with nature. Rather than looking to priests to interpret Scripture, apocalyptic environmentalists look to scientists to “interpret” nature. Recycling has replaced Communion as a “spiritual” practice. Rather than yearning for heaven, where we will be at peace with God and others, apocalyptic environmentalists encourage us to yearn for a future state when we are at peace with nature. Shellenberger explains:

Apocalyptic environmentalism gives people a purpose: to save the world from climate change, or some other environmental disaster. It provides people with a story that casts them as heroes, which some scholars . . . believe we need in order to find meaning in our lives.[8]

I believe he’s right. From what I’ve seen, worldview issues are often at the heart of climate debates.

What Can We Do?

Here are three quick things Christians can do:

1. Be careful not to be taken by bad ideas or bad science. Examine both sides, ask deep questions, and follow the truth wherever it leads. Avoid the positions of climate change alarmism and climate change denial. Be intentional about applying your Christian faith to how you think about the environment.
2. In obedience to God, care for the environment. Even a small thing, like picking up trash, is a way of loving your neighbor.
3. Consider a life profession that aims to care for creation. If you want to be a politician, help pass legislation that genuinely protects nature. If you want to be a scientist, create new technology that protects the environment. If you want to be a filmmaker, tell stories that capture the beauty of nature and encourage creation care.

[1] Greta Thunberg, “‘Our House Is on Fire’: Greta Thunberg, 16, Urges Leaders to Act On Climate,” Guardian (UK edition), January 25, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/25/our-house-is-on-fire-greta-thunberg16-urges-leaders-to-act-on-climate.

[2] Emanuela Barbiroglio, “Generation Z Fears Climate Change More Than Anything Else,” Forbes, December 9, 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/emanuelabarbiroglio/2019/12/09/generation-z-fears-climate-change-more-than-anything-else/#4832034c501b.

[3] Alexandra D. Syphard et al., “Human Presence Diminishes the Importance of Climate in Driving Fire Activity across the United States,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, no. 52 (December 11, 2017): 13750–55, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1713885114.

[4] Michael Shellenberger, Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All (New York: HarperCollins, 2020), 252.

[5] Shellenberger, Apocalypse Never, 113.

[6] Peter James Spielman, “UN Predicts Disaster if Global Warming Not Checked,” Associated Press, June 29, 1989, https://apnews.com/article/bd45c372caf118ec99964ea547880cd0.

[7] Ken Magnuson, Invitation to Christian Ethics: Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2020), 449–451.

[8] Shellenberger, Apocalypse Never, 264.