Environment Archives - RELEVANT

Caring For the Earth is an Act of Worship

RELEVANT Staff — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 18:00:00 +0000

In the beginning…

Three simple words begin one of the most influential and controversial books in history. The mere mention of these words will cause some to become excited, some to be defensive and others to shut down. Wars have been fought over the implication of the words in this book; families and friends have been divided by their understanding of this book; churches throughout history have been torn apart over the debates this book raises.

The Bible has been at the center of many conflicts. History has been shaped—and often disrupted—by what different people interpret the Bible to be saying. However, somewhere in the midst of all the arguing, much of the Church community has neglected to start the conversation where it should: In the beginning.

The first two chapters of Genesis speak of how creation began. These two chapters serve as the opening to our understanding of God, our planet, each other and ourselves. Both chapters are loaded with deep implications for what it means to live the life God intends.

Neglecting the importance of Genesis 1 and 2 creates many misconceptions. Where you believe a story begins shapes the story you are telling—and oftentimes, the Church begins its understanding of the Christian message by starting in Genesis 3.

Chapter three of Genesis speaks of mankind’s rebellion against God, the Fall and the introduction of sin. When we begin the story here, our message centers on the removal of sin. Salvation becomes reduced to nothing more than an answer to how to avoid hell.

But salvation is about more than just a ticket to heaven. It is the answer to everything and is the introduction of a new creation that is bursting forth, here and now, and reconciling the world with God’s peace. Christianity is God working through us, by the same power that brought the world into existence and raised Jesus from the grave (Romans 8:11) to bring about His plan to reconcile us with Him, His creation and humanity as a whole.

To begin to grasp this, we must start with an understanding of how God intended things to be. We must start in the beginning.

Though recently there has been a slight shift in focus, environmental issues have typically been ignored by the Church. Conversations about environmental issues are often passed off as either myth, scientific folly or of no importance. The focus placed on evangelistic efforts has made the argument that anything outside of one’s eternal security is not worth the attention of Church efforts. However, in a view of Christianity that begins in Genesis 1 and 2, there is a drastically different understanding of our world that needs to be discovered.

In the beginning, man was created in a garden.

In the second chapter of Genesis, we’re given an account of man’s creation, in which verse 15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”(NIV). One of God’s plans for mankind is that we should care for the world we have been placed in. There is a vital need for the Church to reclaim an understanding of God’s way as one that includes the proper care and ordering of our world. The use of and care for our planet is a deeply spiritual issue, which is rooted all the way back to our very creation. There are drastic implications for our ignoring the issues that continue to weigh upon creation itself.

This is not the proper care for God’s garden. Some people have taken God’s command to “rule the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28) and twisted it to attempt to reign over creation as dictators, rather than using our God-given authority to order creation in such a way that cultivates growth, responsibility and respect.

It’s time that the Church reclaims its God-instilled responsibility to care for the creation it has been blessed with. It’s time the environmental issues plaguing our world be understood as a result of the selfish nature which drives us, and our planet, from being what we were created to be. Our world must no longer be seen as a temporary holding place, but as a blessing that is the responsibility of all mankind to share. It’s time to reconcile with the planet itself, care for it, and properly partake in a way that is better for everyone and everything. It’s time to see creation care not as elevation of creation above the Creator, but as a way of worshiping the Creator and caring for His creation.

It’s time that we see a more environmentally-conscious Christianity as an aspect of taking part in the Kingdom of God today.

Why Christians Should Probably Care About Earth Day

Tim Mascara — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 16:00:02 +0000

I am a disciple of Jesus. But if I am honest with myself, I am probably more of a selective disciple. I find myself, sometimes unknowingly, but again if I am honest, knowingly, “choosing areas in which commitment suits [me] and staying away from those areas in which it will be costly,” as John Stott wrote in The Radical Disciple. What about you? Are there areas where you pick and choose what to submit to the authority of Jesus?

I wonder if sometimes these areas are things we think really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. By saying it is not a big deal we are able to downplay the possibility that this is a discipleship issue. I wonder if what is innocuous to us is a way for us to say it would be too costly to my life to actually ponder the implications or ramifications of radical discipleship.

John Stott may not be a household name for many, but in Christian circles he was a very influential thinker and writer of the 20th century. Besides the many works he published in his long career, the very last book he penned was a challenge to the Church on some areas he believed to be neglected in our calling as disciples of Christ.

One of those areas was the lack of dialogue in the American evangelical churches around creation care. I have to say, I think I agree with him.

The minute someone begins to talk about climate change, Earth Day or any other “green” initiative, what image pops in your head? What image do you have of the person speaking? For me, a few years ago, that person would have been a left-wing, granola-eating liberal. (My apologies if I have offended any left-wing, granola-eating liberals reading this.)

If I am being honest, though, that is the stereotype I used to have in my head. But why? Isn’t that backwards? If the Earth is God’s creation and not some cosmic accident, shouldn’t God’s followers be at the forefront of environmental care initiatives?

Here is why I believe Earth Day should matter to the Church: The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it — the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1). Earth Day should matter because the Earth is His. He is the creator of the creation, all of it, every inch, every animate and inanimate aspect of it.

It all matters, and all has value, not because we say so, not because we can make a dollar off of it, or it is useful to us, but because it is His and He said it is good. Earth Day should matter, not because of some cliché saying that it belongs to our kids and we are just borrowing from them. It doesn’t belong to my kids anymore than it belongs to me.

And because it is His, it isn’t just some field, it isn’t just some animal or it isn’t just some valley. It is His. You and me? We are just stewards. But that sells it short also. We are not just stewards. We are the creator’s stewards. We are His stewards.

And as amazing as that is, and as often as we muck that role up, we still have the chance to cooperate with God in conserving and nurturing creation. He has entered into a partnership with us to be caretakers of His creation. This is what Genesis 1 gets at. This is dominion. It is not domination. It is to till and to keep, to cultivate and preserve.

This is why Earth Day matters. Because we have a mandate from God, from the rightful owner, to compassionately care for what is His. Is Earth Day the only day that matters? I can’t help but think of Matthew Scully, who put it this way, “Justice is not some finite commodity, nor are kindness and love … a wrong is a wrong, and often the little ones, when they are shrugged off as nothing, spread and do the gravest harm to ourselves and others.”

We know the power of a small act of kindness. It can have ripple effects in our lives and the lives of others. Could small strides taken on Earth Day, from the Christian community, have ripple effects in our lives and the lives of others?

Could our understanding of the passage that “His eye is on the sparrow” not just be some happy illustration of his love for only us? It can also mean that His eye truly is on the sparrow and He watches over both of His creations with grace and love. Yes, we are of more worth than many sparrows, but that doesn’t belittle the fact that even a sparrow is not outside of the Father’s care.

What strides can we take?

Maybe the first step is to get outside. To explore. To ponder. To slow. To stop and listen to the sound of a bird. To stop and pause in front of a shrub this spring. We are often moving so fast that we miss the smaller world around us. But sometimes, if you stop long enough you will see how busy the bees are working to gather food, and yet to help pollinate the many plants around us.

As Francis Schaeffer wrote, “This is not pantheism, but rather a way of honoring the Creator. Thus, as a human, I recognize that I am more valuable than an ant, but the ant is a fellow creature, both of us made by the same God.” The goal here is not the deification of nature, but maybe admitting we have lost sight of whose creation this is, and our part in that creation.

Our second step could be to educate ourselves. How many water bottles are thrown into a landfill every single day? (60 million.) How many animals in America are slaughtered every day? (23.3 million.) There are a whole host of valuable questions to ask. And as hard as it is to hear it, to say, “I don’t want to know how the chicken nugget got to my plate. I just want to enjoy it,” is not a valid excuse.

Finally, take small steps by maybe skipping the water bottle. Use a reusable bottle. Skip the plastic straw at the restaurant. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs. As cliché as it sounds, plant a tree. See that act as something more. See it as an act of building for the coming kingdom. Find locally sourced animal meat, and even, eat less animal meat. To want to help the Earth and not address the destruction caused by the industrialized animal farming operations is like focusing on a small issue while a larger one looms. It is like an old Persian saying about someone who has lost his horse and yet is busy looking for horseshoes.

You can either choose to simply eat less animal meat, or in your budget, since buying locally sourced animal meat tends to be more expensive, keep the same budget and you naturally will consume less. Or perhaps, when you go out to eat, choose vegetarian.

Yes, these are just a few small steps. Yes, there are many other problems facing our world. But is it fair to ask that we can be involved in multiple issues? Can we see how both the refugee crisis and creation care are able to fall under what it means to be a disciple of Jesus? There is room for us to do both in a given day. And maybe, just maybe, the daily habit of small acts of kindness toward the creation can train or aim our hearts to larger acts of kindness.

Could we have fallen prey to our own selective discipleship? Am I able to admit that for a long time I have simply pretended to not know? As Leo Tolstoy wrote, “We are not ostriches, and cannot believe that if we refuse to look at what we do not wish to see, it will not exist.”

10 Documentaries That Will Challenge the Way You See the World

RELEVANT — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 17:28:52 +0000

During the last few years of political, social, economic and even spiritual unrest, documentaries have become a key way to understand how we’ve gotten to where we are. The best documentaries are the ones that leave you silent at the end of it, whether it’s from jaw-dropping moments or unbelievably true stories. We’ve curated a list that take a closer look at the past, present and future to help us better understand the world we live in today.

1. Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids’ TV

Available on Max

Investigation Discovery’s jaw-dropping documentary uncovers the sinister side of Nickelodeon Studios. Once known as the peak of children’s television, dozens of former child stars and crew members speak out in this interview about the mistreatment they experienced on set. From the kids’ discomfort participating in approriate jokes to mistreatment from executive producer to Dan Schneider to multiple instances of child sex abuse, the documentary exposes how the entertainment industry has left young actors particularly vulnerable. The documentary premiered in March, but a new episode will drop on Monday on Max.

2. The Economics of Happiness

Available on YouTube

The Economics of Happiness sheds light on the ongoing struggle between globalization and localization. Despite efforts by governments and corporations to push for globalization, communities worldwide are taking matters into their own hands by creating locally-focused, eco-friendly economies. This new economic paradigm, known as the “economics of localization,” prioritizes the well-being of individuals and the environment over corporate interests.

3. The Octopus Teacher

Available on Netflix

The Octopus Teacher explores the remarkable relationship between a filmmaker and an octopus living in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa. The film documents the filmmaker’s journey as they observe and document the octopus’ intricate hunting and problem-solving skills, as well as its ability to use tools. This captivating and intimate look at the octopus provides new insights into the intelligence and complex behavior of these mysterious sea creatures, challenging the notion that they are just mindless predators.

4. The Future of Work and Death

Available on Amazon Prime

This thought-provoking documentary examines the rapidly changing landscape of work and mortality in the 21st century. With technological advancements disrupting traditional job markets and extending human lifespans, this film asks important questions about the future of work, the meaning of life, and what it means to be human. Through interviews with experts and thought leaders, the documentary explores the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on employment, the ethical implications of life extension, and the importance of finding purpose in a world where work and death are being redefined. Whether you’re an optimist or a skeptic, The Future of Work and Death offers a sobering look at the potential consequences of our current trajectory and the choices we must make as a society.

5. A Beautiful Planet

Available on Apple TV+

This 2016 film explores planet Earth from a view never seen before. Like similar projects, the imagery is breathtaking. But there’s something entirely unique about it—A Beautiful Planet views Earth not from South American rain forests or East Asian mountain ranges—but from the International Space Station. From space. It’s impossible to see the beauty and intricacy and not come away with a greater sense of awe for God’s creation and respect for His creativity.

Plus, the picture is narrated by Jennifer Lawrence, which is just cool.

6. The Dark Matter of Love

Available on Amazon Prime

A family of three adds three more to their kids through adoption. What makes The Dark Matter of Love interesting is the up-close look it offers of adoption and long, difficult bonding process that follows. We see through the lenses of detailed psychological study that the family in this documentary journeys to a frontier of new relationships with incredible courage.

7. Good Night Oppy

Available on Amazon Prime

Talk about a story of resilience. Good Night Oppy charts the remarkable true story of Opportunity, a NASA exploration rover that was sent to Mars for a 90-day mission but ended up surviving for 15 years. While Oppy may only be a robot, it does remind us to never give up hope, especially when facing a challenge that feels out-of-this-world.

8. What We Leave Behind

Available on Netflix

Julián Moreno is the focus of What We Leave Behind, a poetic exploration on family, tradition, immigration, and life and death. Filmmaker Iliana Sosa interviewed her grandfather, who took time every month for nearly 20 years to take a bus for the 560-mile trip from his home in Mexico to visit his daughters and grandchildren in El Paso, Texas. The story weaves through loss, hope and sacrifice, reminding us that everything we gain can often come at a cost.

9. Endangered

Available on Max

In a time when “fake news” is a common phrase, it can be hard for many to recognize the dangerous work journalists actually do. Endangered peels back the veil on the fourth estate, showing audiences just how difficult it can be to discover the truth. It’s a reminder that what goes on in a newsroom isn’t always the full picture.

10. The Waiting Room

Available on Hulu

It’s all too easy to boil the idea of health care to a series of bills or politics. But director Peter Nicks strives to put a face to the U.S. crisis with his 2012 film, The Waiting Room. Shot over five months, viewers are invited to simply watch an average day at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California—where most of the patients are uninsured. With a story assist through a confessional both placed in the waiting room, rather than an omniscient narrator, we hear the story directly from those affected the most. (Fans of This American Life, you’re going to dig this one.) It’s stark reminder that compassion shouldn’t come with a price tag.

How to Avoid Apathy in a World Overrun by Causes

Kim Hunt — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 16:00:04 +0000

You’re tired. Absolutely and utterly exhausted. Slavery. Genocide. Racism. Climate change. Refugees. Poverty. Equality. Water. Life and human dignity. The list of social justice issues you need to know, take a stand about and thoughtfully engage is seemingly endless.

Many of us have been actively fighting injustice issues for years. Socially conscious millennials and Gen Zers have spent much of their lives fighting for what they believe is right.

But now social media has emboldened the unwise and exacerbated the arguments. People are able to share their thoughts and purposefully provoke anger in others. Rather than reasoned and informed discussions, we’ve devolved into online shouting matches with people we don’t know from the safety of our couches with little fear of retribution.

What’s making it even worse is the lack of reliable information. Throughout the last decade, Americans have witnessed fake news sites not only gain traction, but become viral phenomena. People can take strong stands about topics and events that simply aren’t true.

It’s exhausting, and that exhaustion can quickly slide into apathy. Cause fatigue. It’s easier to just block it all out and enjoy the silence of not engaging at all.

With all the causes and need stands to be made swirling around us, is it even possible to focus on worthy causes and avoid turning apathetic?

Start where you are

Jason Fileta and Scott Bessenecker have both been working in social justice for years, learning the keys to inspiring people to take action on issues of justice the hard way.

“Pay attention to what God is putting in front of us,” says Fileta, the executive director of Micah Challenge USA. “Sometimes a particular issue will come up in very unexpected places. The Spirit puts those things in our path for a reason.”

Fileta thinks it’s physically impossible for people to exert energy on every single justice issue they come across. Instead, Bessenecker says, would-be activists should start with the posture Jesus teaches in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

“We don’t want to be that person who rushes past someone bleeding by the side of the road on our way to a protest rally,” says Bessenecker, who is an activist and author of Overturning Tables: Freeing Missions From the Christian Industrial Complex. “We must develop that sensitivity, where an elderly person struggling with their luggage or a marginalized person being harassed right in front of us enters our field of concern and moves us to action.”

Join a community of activists

Central to Fileta and Bessenecker’s advice is finding a community to walk with during the fight.

“We fail when we believe we are good enough and strong enough to do it alone,” Fileta says.

Similarly, Bessenecker warns that fighting alone can have dangerous consequences:

This isn’t new information. Fighting for justice within community is an idea as old as the Bible. Fileta and Bessenecker point to the words of King Solomon, who writes in Ecclesiastes 4:12, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Later, Jesus commands His disciples to share the Gospel by going in pairs.

From the Bible’s perspective, working for justice is something done best—if not always—in the context of community.

Balance your life

In the world of activism, there are both unhealthy and healthy justice workers. Families have been ripped apart because one or more of them is so focused on the justice work they ignore their loved ones.

People’s bodies physically rebel from the amount of stress related to working in the justice realm to the point of sporadic, days-long paralysis. People have become so burned out they leave the justice realm altogether, no longer fighting for anyone or anything.

But there are also people who have spent nearly their entire lives working for justice and are still going strong. What’s the difference?

“Remember that a field which lies fallow on a regular basis produces more than one that is harvested year after year,” Bessenecker says.

He means the dangers of burnout are naturally prevented by the rhythms God intends for the Earth: God created Sabbath for a reason.

Prioritize your faith

In order to give our all, Fileta says, we must be filling ourselves back up somehow. Christians, if you haven’t noticed, don’t miraculously have an ever-running fountain of energy.

“Honestly, sometimes I don’t have the strength,” Fileta says. “I fall prey to escapism, fatalism and exhaustion just like most people.”

But, he goes on: “I find strength from prayer. I know that’s a cheesy textbook answer, but when I feel God’s presence, and His Spirit speaking straight to my soul, I come away energized and refreshed.”

His point is clear: Don’t let life overwhelm you so much that you end up ignoring your best option for comfort and revitalization.

Realize you will fail

From trying to join movements and realizing that they’re not a good fit, to trying to rally people around a certain issue and failing miserably, to simply getting into a Twitter conversation that turns antagonistic, sometimes activists and advocates fail. And who among us hasn’t botched a conversation on an issue of justice when you were new to the fight?

Failure is a fact of life.

“Relax,” Fileta says. “Seriously, remember that we are simply workers alongside an all-powerful God. At the end of the day we have to ask ourselves if we trust Him, if we trust what He says about Himself, that He will make all things new.

“If we can find ways to embrace that truth and trust in God, we will find the time to rest and return to our work with renewed passion and energy.”

You’re going to fail. But taking a step back, Fileta counsels, re-evaluating your actions and further relying upon God will only strengthen your abilities and resolve to fight injustice, fend off apathy and move forward—even when you get exhausted.

Prepare and take action

Here’s the harsh reality: There is no magic formula for fighting injustice—and, yes, sometimes it’s exhausting. Every individual is different. Every justice community is different. But every justice issue requires action.

While saying a few words on social media might be an entry point for you on an issue, actual action has to be the next step. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Ideas to Take Real Action

Animal Rights

Volunteer at your local animal shelter or animal hospital. Walk the dogs. Clean the kennels. If you are able to, foster an animal until a permanent home can be found.

Environmental Justice

Take part in ride shares to work and the store. Buy used rather than new. Take public transportation. Plant some trees. Connect with groups like the Micah Challenge (www.micahchallengeusa.org) to learn the spiritual elements involved in climate justice.

Human Trafficking

You can only report human trafficking if you know what to look for. Thankfully many local community programs and organizations can educate you. Visit sites like www.humantraffickinghotline.org to educate yourself on what constitutes human trafficking in the U.S.

Poverty

Get to know families in your community who are living on SNAP. Make them real people, not numbers and stats and vague stories out in the universe. Talk through their hardships and help them in ways you feel God is leading you.

Pro-Life/Pro-Choice

No matter where you stand on abortion, find someone who holds the opposite view and is willing to have a conversation with you. Neither side wants an increase in abortions, so how can you work together to decrease the number of people seeking them? You won’t agree on everything, but you can learn from a civil conversation.

Racial Justice

Make friends with people of different ethnicities and listen to their stories. Call your state or national representative (get the info at senate.gov and house.gov) and ask them to repeal unjust laws and practices that disproportionately target people of color. Request all law enforcement personnel wear body cameras for the protection of law enforcement and the citizens they are sworn to protect.

Refugees

Contact organizations serving refugees like World Vision and World Relief and find out their needs. Call your representatives to urge fair treatment of refugees. “Adopt” a local refugee family or simply donate needed items like furniture.

Women’s Rights

The Violence Against Women Act has lost significant funding under the new administration, putting women seeking to escape domestic violence situations at higher risk due to lack of available services. Call your elected representative and ask them to protect victims of domestic violence.

2023 Was the Hottest Year Ever, and Not in a Good Way

Emily Brown — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 22:08:17 +0000

2023 will be the hottest year in recorded history, breaking a previous record set in 2016.

The World Meteorological Organization confirmed Thursday during the U.N. climate summit that the planet warmed approximately 34 degrees Fahrenheit higher than preindustrial temperatures this year.

The record is fitting for 2023. July 4 was the hottest day ever recorded, beating out the previous world record set the day before. By the end of the summer, scientists confirmed the season was the hottest summer in human history. It seems like Earth was determined to finish out its’ record-setting year with one final accolade.

“Greenhouse gas levels are record high,” WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas said. “Global temperatures are record high. Sea level rise is record high. Antarctic sea ice is record low. It’s a deafening cacophony of broken records.”

The World’s Richest One Percent Cause as Much Climate Change as the Poorest Two-Thirds

Emily Brown — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 20:40:37 +0000

As climate experts and activists scramble to slow down the effects of global warming, it appears the richest of the rich are doing their part to speed up climate change.

According to a new Oxfam report, the world’s richest 1 percent generated as much carbon emissions as the poorest two-thirds in 2019.

“The super-rich are plundering and polluting the planet to the point of destruction, leaving humanity choking on extreme heat, floods and drought,” said Amitabh Behar, Oxfam International’s interim executive director.

Additionally, carbon emissions of the world’s richest 1 percent surpassed the total amount generated by all car and road transport. thanks to their yachts, mansions and global investments, a dozen of the world’s billionaires generated just as much greenhouse gas emissions as 2 million average households. That includes big names like Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

“Billionaires generate obscene amounts of carbon pollution with their yachts and private jets—but this is dwarfed by the pollution caused by their investments,” said Alex Maitland, Oxfam International’s inequality policy adviser.

Experts plan to use Oxfam’s report to call for world leaders to “end the era of extreme wealth,” according to Behar. Policy stakeholders are gearing up for this year’s U.N. climate conference, and advocates will use this data to explain why the uber-wealthy should be taxed on their carbon emissions.

According to the Oxfam report, which advocates for a new set of taxes on corporations and billionaires, a 60 percent tax on the incomes of the richest 1 percent would cut emissions by more than the total emissions of the UK and raise $6.4 trillion a year to pay for the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

“That’s been a huge issue in climate justice — countries don’t want to pay for what they have done in the past,” said David Schlosberg, director of the Sydney Environment Institute at the University of Sydney. “So the interesting thing here is, okay, let’s not talk about historic responsibility, but current responsibility.”

Stopping Climate Change Is a Part of Following Jesus

Federica Cardamone — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 19:00:10 +0000

Let’s cut to the chase: We’ve been really poor stewards of the earth.

Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” One of our calls as Christians is to look after the world given to us by God, but it has been made evident through studies that we have failed our job.

We often forget or even ignore our call to take care of this temporary home in favor of convenience and for businesses profit.

Of course, Christians are not solely to blame for climate change or the subsequent exacerbation of natural disasters. However, we constantly hear that we must be in the world, but not of it – so why should this case be any different?

Christians know that humanity has been charged by God with taking care of the earth, but if we’re honest, a lot of people who aren’t Christians often do a better job of being vocal about taking care of the environment than we do.

If loving God and our neighbor are our greatest command, how can we blatantly disobey God and contribute to climate change which disproportionately affects some of our most at-risk neighbors?

It is no secret that our world needs a lot of help. In the first half of 2020 alone, we have seen over 200 natural disasters across the globe. Currently, the West Coast of the U.S. is on fire with evacuations and extremely dangerous air quality as a near constant for most California and Pacific Northwest residents. Climate change is heightening the effects of California’s wildfires by temperature increases that dry shrubbery, a decrease in already-scarce rainfall, less moisture in the air and a change in wind patterns.

Climate scientists like Katharine Hayhoe, prove that you can simultaneously evangelize about Christianity and climate change – it’s not the either-or conundrum many people would have you believe. In Hayhoe’s words, “Global warming will strike hardest against the very people we’re told to love: the poor and vulnerable.” Communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change, as they are less likely to be prepared for disaster and equipped with resources after one strikes. This has been proven time and time again, most notably in the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the Black community of New Orleans.

So, if we are told to be good stewards of the earth and care for the vulnerable, it seems that our only option moving forward is to care about climate change and do our part to stop contributing to it.

Simply letting climate change play out because we believe that Jesus will return and save us is contradictory to the Gospel. Ignoring our call to be good stewards of this earth because of that mindset is a failure to recognize that we aren’t wholeheartedly trusting God, we’re just being apathetic.

Let’s not be people who strip the earth of resources, but those who take personal responsibility for ensuring the care of God’s creation that ultimately brings Him glory. This isn’t environmental socialism. It’s worship.

“I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and produce,” says Jeremiah 2:7. “But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.”

U.S. Breaks Climate Record with 23 Billion-Dollar Disasters This Year

RELEVANT Staff — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 19:23:59 +0000

In just the first eight months of 2023, the United States has witnessed 23 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, shattering previous records, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Even with four months left, 2023 has already surpassed the previous annual record of 22 events set in 2020. The grim tally includes 18 severe weather events, two devastating flooding incidents, one tropical cyclone (Hurricane Idalia), one devastating wildfire occurrence and one catastrophic winter storm event.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

These disasters have caused 253 direct and indirect fatalities and amassed over $57.6 billion in damages.

August alone saw the confirmation of seven other billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, including Hurricane Idalia, the most powerful storm to hit Florida’s Big Bend region in over a century, and the devastating wildfire that engulfed Hawaii, claiming at least 115 lives, with dozens still missing.

Experts attribute the increase in the number and cost of these disasters to a combination of factors, including the rising frequency of extreme weather events and population growth in vulnerable areas, such as coastal and low-lying areas.

“These record-breaking numbers, during a year that is on track to be one of the hottest ever, are sobering and the latest confirmation of a worsening trend in costly disasters, many of which bear the undeniable fingerprints of climate change,” said Rachel Cletus of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “The year is far from over, with the busiest part of the hurricane season just getting underway, making it likely that these numbers will climb further.”

Scientists Name Summer 2023 As Hottest Ever Recorded

Emily Brown — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 21:45:41 +0000

This summer has officially earned the title of the hottest summer on record, as reported by the European Union Climate Change Service on Wednesday.

From June through August, temperatures soared to an average of 62.2 Fahrenheit, surpassing previous records by a significant margin — 33 degrees Fahrenheit above the norm. Breaking down the heatwave further, August not only clinched the hottest August ever recorded worldwide but also marked the third consecutive month of record-breaking temperatures, following a scorching June and July.

These findings underscore the urgency of the Paris international climate change agreement’s central goal: to limit the global temperature increase to 34.7 degrees Fahrenheit — a mission embraced by 196 nations in 2015.

The sweltering statistics have made the northern hemisphere’s summer the hottest since records began in 1940, with no signs of cooling down.

“Global temperature records continue to tumble in 2023,” said Samantha Burgess, Copernicus deputy head. “The scientific evidence is overwhelming. We will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems until we stop emitting greenhouse gases.”

Adding to the alarming trend, the global ocean recently registered its highest daily surface temperature on record and recorded its hottest month overall. As we enter the final stretch of 2023, this year is on track to becoming the second-hottest on record, trailing only slightly behind 2016. But experts warn that could change within the coming months.

What Can Christians Do About Climate Change?

Myal Greene — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 19:00:08 +0000

The climate has once again captured our attention amid devastating wildfires in Hawaii and an unprecedented heatwave makes it’s way through the U.S. Our environment is a precious gift, created by God and intended for all to share in its bounty. Yet, our global neighbors living in poverty and other vulnerable conditions are facing the most devastating effects of climate change. Addressing the impacts of climate change demands not just a public response, but a uniquely Christian one as well.

As an acquaintance shared during a trip to Malawi, “The hunger season is longer, and we are deeply concerned.” He explained that the decade-long change in the rainy season radically diminished the quality of crops and extended the time between harvests. This situation is not merely a personal inconvenience or an economic disappointment; it is a threat to health and subsistence.

For billions of people around the world, the threat of climate change is imminent and existential. Their homes are threatened by rising tides. Their food supply is threatened by the loss of biodiversity. Their health is threatened by polluted air and water. And increasingly scarce natural resources fuel conflict, robbing precious human lives and exacerbating the greatest displacement crisis in recorded history.

The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, droughts, desertification, and rising sea levels, is already causing the displacement of over 20 million people each year. Climate change is also exacerbating global hunger as the overwhelming majority of people facing hunger live in areas that are most susceptible to extreme weather events.

As Christians, we know that God loves his world and the people he created, with a special concern for those who are poor and vulnerable. He made human beings in his image and entrusted them as his caretakers of this earth. A recently-updated report on climate change from the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), in partnership with its humanitarian arm World Relief and the Evangelical Environmental Network, reflects that vital truth.

The concept of stewardship guides our relationship to God’s creation. While God grants humanity dominion over the earth and its creatures (Genesis 1:26), dominion is not domination. We are called to exercise prudence because the earth belongs to God, and Adam displays such stewardship in the Garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). Humankind has tragically not followed so. As a result, our poor stewardship of the earth is having dire consequences, particularly for those with the fewest economic resources to adapt.

We are witnessing with growing concern the many changes to our environment. Increasing temperature and heat energy within our oceans and the atmosphere are already devastating communities around the world. Massive wildfires, such as those in Australia and western North America, kill tens of thousands of people each year. Hurricanes and storms are becoming more severe and affecting people from the Gulf Coast to Haiti to India. An ongoing drought in East Africa is placing millions at risk of starvation. And scientists estimate that rising sea levels could displace hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

In American evangelical communities, there has been a current of skepticism about these changes. But as the effects become clearer, greater numbers of Americans – including evangelical Christians – are thinking more about the consequences of climate change. And we are grateful to see more Christians stepping up to help those who are impacted the most.

For the majority of evangelical Christians who reside in Africa, Latin America, or Asia — the parts of the world experiencing the most significant effects of climate change — this is neither new nor controversial. In a 2010 resolution called the Cape Town Commitment, global evangelical leaders galvanized the Christian response to climate change through a worldwide creation care network. Since then, more and more churches and Christian organizations have responded to climate change in ways that reflect our shared biblical convictions and global connections.

Matthew 25:40 makes clear that to love and serve Jesus means loving and serving his people, especially the hungry, thirsty, sick, displaced, and imprisoned. Scripture audaciously claims that the way we treat the “least of these” is how we treat God. And although a changing environment affects all of God’s creation, the disproportionate devastation falls upon vulnerable communities.

Christians have a moral obligation to stand with the vulnerable and become agents of change in their communities. Even if the impact of climate change does not seem as immediate as it is to our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, Scripture is clear: When one person suffers, we all suffer (1 Corinthians 12:26).

As Christian leaders, we have worked firsthand with communities that feel the devastating effects of climate change the most. Our experiences have taught us that churches, faith-based organizations, and individuals are natural leaders to address climate change. We are especially hopeful that the next generation of Christians – our children, grandchildren, youth congregants, and those we hope to bring to Christ – can create a better world for all of us.

As the climate change crisis intensifies, let us join God in the grand redemptive purpose that even “creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

Myal Greene is president and CEO of World Relief. Walter Kim is president of the National Association of Evangelicals.

Forget Global Warming — This Is Global Boiling

RELEVANT Staff — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 17:52:43 +0000

“The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”

That’s what United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday. The announcement came as new data from the European Union and the World Meteorological Organization revealed that July was officially the hottest month ever recorded.

“For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa and Europe, it is a cruel summer,” Guterres said. “For the entire planet, it is a disaster.”

The impact of this relentless heatwave is already taking a toll on communities worldwide as temperatures soar to unprecedented levels in cities like Phoenix, Arizona, and San Antonio, Texas. Guterres shared that climate change is not a distant worry, but a current problem.

“For scientists, it is unequivocal — humans are to blame,” Guterres said. “All this is entirely consistent with predictions and repeated warnings. The only surprise is the speed of the change. Climate change is here. It is terrifying, and it is just the beginning.”

Guterres stressed that while progress has been made to address climate change conditions, it is not enough.

“We have seen some progress: a robust rollout of renewables, some positive steps from sectors such as shipping,” Guterres said. “But none of this is going far enough or fast enough. Extreme weather is becoming the new normal. All countries must respond and protect their people from the searing heat, fatal floods, storms, drought and raging fires that result.”

In response to the unprecedented heatwave, the White House issued a Hazard Alert to provide protections for workers under federal law. The U.S. government is also investing in improving weather forecasting to better prepare for future extreme weather events. With $7 million allocated from the Inflation Reduction Act, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is determined to enhance the accuracy and timeliness of weather information.

As the crisis escalates, President Biden has announced a $152 million investment to improve water storage capacity in drought-affected regions of California, Colorado, and Washington. This allocation, also from the IRA, aims to bolster water resources and build resilience against the intensifying drought conditions.

“The evidence is everywhere: Humanity has unleashed destruction,” Guterres said. “This must not inspire despair, but action.”

Five Years Left to Save the Planet, Climate Clock Warns

RELEVANT Staff — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 17:21:45 +0000

The “Climate Clock” towering over Union Square in New York City reached a crucial turning point this weekend.

The time remaining to constrain global temperature rise to 34.7 degrees Fahrenheit — the ambitious objective of the 2015 Paris Agreement — decreased from six years to five. Scientists have long warned that surpassing the 34.7-degree mark would amplify the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, further destabilizing our planet.

In a midday announcement on Saturday, the Climate Clock team emphasized that the five-year mark is not a conclusion but rather a stark reminder that there is still a window of opportunity to avert the most devastating consequences of climate change.

“The biggest misconception about climate is that its impacts are in the future. This summer shows the devastating impacts are now. We need to act like we are living in a climate emergency,” the team stated.

The 2015 Paris Agreement, signed by nearly every nation worldwide, committed signatories to limit temperature rise to 34.7 F or, at the most, well below 35.6 degrees. Currently, the world has already warmed to approximately 34.16 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 150 years, and projections indicate that it is on track to soar to 36.86 degrees F by the end of this century.

The repercussions of the climate crisis have become undeniably evident across the globe. Scorching, record-breaking heatwaves have impacted North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, while increasingly powerful storms have caused significant loss of life and destruction. Reports show that the world experienced its hottest week ever at the beginning of July, with June ranking as the hottest month in recorded human history.

The United States has been grappling with extreme temperatures caused by a stagnant heat dome over the past month. The National Weather Service reported that over 100 million people in the Southwest were under heat alerts over the weekend. Phoenix, Arizona, endured a record-breaking streak of 19 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Climate Clock relies on research from the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin, which draws from data provided by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s preeminent authority on climate science.

God ‘Making All Things New’ Doesn’t Mean Christians Can Ignore the Environment

Nancy Sleeth — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0000

It was a perfect Saturday afternoon: cloudless sky, 72 degrees, and a clean breeze blowing across the mountaintop where my husband Matthew and I sat on a bench, enjoying the view.

A few yards away from us, a family was picnicking—three children with their parents. In between ripples of good-natured teasing and laughter, the son, about 8 years old, leaned comfortably against his dad while being quizzed on Bible verses. The kid knew his stuff, and his father was clearly proud of him.

My husband made a friendly comment and began to chat with the dad. After the initial introductions, the conversation quickly turned to scripture and matters of faith. Matthew always welcomes an engaging theological discussion and was delighted to have crossed paths with such an intelligent and devoted believer.

When asked what had brought us to this mountaintop retreat center, Matthew briefly told him about our creation care ministry, Blessed Earth. The conversation stalled for a minute. Then, in a well-meaning tone, the father posed an all-too-familiar question: If Revelation says it’s all going to burn up in the end, why should Christians care?

Finding common ground

While traveling the country, we’ve encountered many variations of this “it’s all going to burn anyway” question. Does God’s making all things new mean Christians can ignore the environment? If we’re ultimately made for heaven, why worry about the earth? Aren’t there more important things to do, like bringing people to Christ?

Such questions can easily become divisive. A radio host recently opened his interview with my husband as follows: “When I think of environmentalists, I picture long-haired, Birkenstock wearing hippies who rant about recycling and global warming. What do you have to say about this, Dr. Sleeth?”

A lot, actually, but not what the interviewer may have been expecting.

Instead of taking the bait, we focus on the biblical call to be wise stewards of God’s gifts—a value we share. Rather than getting polarized by politics, we look for common ground.

The man at the retreat center went on to say that he owns hundreds of books on the end times. Between our home and office libraries, we probably have about as many books on creation care. As believers in Christ, however, we have much that we can agree upon: love, sacrifice, compassion, hope, joy, grace, redemption, reconciliation, and renewal are values that bind us together.

Below are some responses that we have found helpful when engaging in conversations with our bothers and sisters in Christ, who—often because of what they have heard on radio or in political arenas—initially may be skeptical about the call to care for the environment:

Revelation tells us it’s all going to burn up in the end, so why bother taking care of nature?

The answer to this seemingly logical question is actually quite simple—because the earth belongs to God and he told us to protect it.

First, consider the issue of ownership. Scripture unequivocally states that God owns all of creation. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,” says Psalm 24:1. In Job 41:11 God declares, “Everything under heaven belongs to me.” The Apostle Paul tells us that everything was created through Christ and for him (Colossians 1:15-16). The earth does not belong to us, but to God—a principle that permeates all of scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.

Since we reside on earth without claim to ownership, we are therefore tenants on God’s land. As tenants, we do not have the right to act toward the earth in whatever manner we wish. Rather, we have an obligation to treat the land with the proper amount of respect due to its owner.

Why bother taking care of nature? Because it belongs to God.

Second, not only does the earth belong to God, but he also has given us the responsibility of taking care of it. In fact, one of the first jobs he gives humanity is to tend and protect the earth (Genesis 2:15). This is a command, not a suggestion; it has no expiration date and is still in full effect.

But the story does not end in Genesis. Before entering the Promised Land, the Israelites are told that they are to provide for the “redemption of the land” (Leviticus 25:23-24), thus demonstrating the inherent value God places on the natural world. Likewise, Jesus himself warns his listeners to be faithful with what has been entrusted to them (Luke 16) and states that God cares when even a single sparrow falls to the ground (Matthew 10:29). Our role toward God’s creation is that of caretakers.

Why bother taking care of nature? Because God tells us to.

Didn’t God give us dominion over the earth?

Yes, God gave us dominion, but dominion should not be confused with license. Dominion implies great responsibility. We give teachers dominion over our children when we send them to school, but we would not be pleased if at the end of the day our children came home ignorant, battered, and bruised. The same principle applies to dominion over the earth; when God gave us dominion over the earth, he did not intend for us to destroy his creation. As God’s appointed stewards, we can use natural resources, but not abuse them.

Suppose you borrowed a car from God. Would you want to return it with cigarette butts in the ashtray, dents in the bumper, and an empty gas tank? Like the car, the earth is on loan to us. We are to pass it on to future generations in as good or better shape than we received it.

Moreover, God created the physical earth to sustain all life, not just humans. On the renewed earth, God specifically promises to sustain all creatures, great and small: “In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground” (Hosea 2:18).

Yes, we were created in God’s image, and yes, we were given special responsibilities. However, dominion should not be synonymous with domination. Domination leads to reckless consumption; dominion leads to wise leadership.

If we already know the earth is going to burn, why not hasten the end?

No one knows exactly when the end times will come, not even Jesus. (Matthew 24:35-37). Until then, we are all called to do God’s work. And an important part of God’s work is abat and shamar, tending and protecting the earth he placed in our care.

The prophet Amos explicitly warns us:

Woe to all of you who want God’s Judgment Day!

Why would you want to see God, want Him to come?

When God comes, it will be bad news before it’s good news,

The worst of times, not the best of times.

(Amos 5:18-19, The Message)

The misguided desire to hasten the end times surfaced one afternoon when a new friend invited Matthew and me to lunch. Our host, a devoted father, loved his teenaged daughter but deeply regretted that she did not have a relationship with Jesus. Yet, several times the man also stated that he prayed Christ would return tomorrow.

Matthew and I were both puzzled by this mixed message: As parents, wouldn’t we want more time, not less, for Christ to open our child’s heart? Shouldn’t we pray that, in God’s infinite mercy and grace, the end times are delayed until those we love know Jesus? And shouldn’t we want to extend, not end, opportunities for people around the world to meet their Savior?

In the 16th century, Martin Luther, the father of Protestantism, once gave a moving sermon about the end times. His congregation was so affected that they all went home and fed the sick, clothed the poor, and opened their tables to the homeless. When the congregants came back to report what they had done, they were astounded to find Martin Luther planting a tree.

“Why are you bothering to plant a tree when you know the end times are coming?” they asked.

“I am doing exactly what I want my Father to find me doing,” Martin Luther replied.

Like Martin Luther, all of us should be building the Kingdom, not destroying it, up until the very last moment of our personal and collective end times. Live like Judgment Day is coming tomorrow, but pray that we are given as much time as possible to share Jesus with the world.

Regardless of when the end times come, no human has the right to needlessly destroy or mar anything that God has created. In fact, the author of Revelation declares that God will destroy those who destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18). Only God knows the day and the hour of his return. Only God knows the manner in which he intends to create the new earth. It is not our place to hasten these events through destruction, but to give life (Matthew 24:14). We are to lovingly and faithfully care for what He has made until He decides to give us a new role in the new earth—His permanent, perfected creation.

As Christians, shouldn’t we be concerned with spiritual, not physical, matters?

This question quickly leads to a false dichotomy. Physical and spiritual matters are not mutually exclusive; rather, they are interdependent.

For example, God gave each of us a physical body. That body is a temple that must be treated with respect. “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

On a very practical level, proper care for our bodies requires us to also care for the earth. God gave us clean water, clean air, and healthy soil. If we want to be good stewards of our bodies, we will also have to be good stewards of the physical elements that sustain life.

Won’t everything be renewed after the rapture anyway?

Absolutely! Revelation 21:1 and Acts 3:21 state that God intends to renew all things. This message is reinforced in Colossians 1:20, when we are told that God intends to reconcile himself to all things. Paul says in Romans 8:20-21, “For the creation was subjected to frustration…in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.”

Everything—including mountains, seas, flowers, bees, you, and me—will be renewed. This is good news, indeed!

In Revelation 21:5, God declares, “I am making all things new!” This disclosure reveals an important reality about the new earth. God intends to make all things new; he does not plan to make all new things. Revelation 21:5 also provides direction on how to interact with the natural world prior to God’s renewal. Because God is making all things new, we get the honor of participating in this renewal process by protecting his earth now. We are not passive spectators to God’s cosmic design of a renewed Eden. On the contrary, we play a crucial role in God’s plan. This pattern reflects one of the most common narratives throughout scripture—that of God using humans to be his hands and feet in accomplishing his purposes in this world.

Not only will everything eventually be renewed, but the Bible makes clear that even now God is actively sustaining all things. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). Likewise, Paul tells us, “[Jesus] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). If God is even now sustaining his creation, then undoubtedly the earth holds inherent value and is worthy of protection. God currently sustains the earth, ultimately plans to renew it, and longs to use us in the process.

Aren’t we supposed to be worried about saving souls, not saving whales?

There is no greater cause for rejoicing than when a lost soul comes to Christ. The Great Commission’s call to share the gospel with all nations is absolutely central to the Christian faith and should be a part of the life of every believer. Evangelism, however, is not the only calling of Christians; the chief end of humanity—and all of creation—is to glorify God.

Scripture is clear that God’s creation brings him glory. Psalm 96:11-13 says, “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord.” This resounding chorus of praise comes not from human voices but from the natural world and is indicative of a world alive with God’s glory. Elsewhere in scripture, we see worship coming from the sun, moon, stars, rocks, water, fish, lightning, hail, snow, clouds, storms, mountains, hills, cattle, animals, fields, and more. Like humans, they were created by God to bring him glory. And while it is true that humans alone are created in the image of God, this does not diminish the worship that God’s other creations bring to him. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).

Protecting God’s creation also preserves a significant way to learn about God’s character. Paul declares in Romans 1:20 that “ever since the creation of the world, [God’s] eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.” Here Paul is making the case that God’s creation serves as an avenue for people to discover God.

The book of Job explicitly tells us to “ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?” (Job 12:7-10). Countering our human tendency toward hubris, this passage proclaims that the natural world can offer us spiritual insight. If nature holds spiritual value in God’s eye, we should be actively protecting these sources of spiritual instruction.

Unfortunately, the world is very clear on what Christians are against, but fuzzy on what we are for. The perception that Christians don’t care about pollution, species extinction, and the social and human health consequences of land degradation can ultimately drive people away from Christ. For example, we have heard people say they do not understand how Christians can say they love the Creator but not show respect for his creation. Thus, our failure to take a leadership role in protecting the earth has become, for some, a stumbling block to knowing God. This problem is exacerbated when political pundits rather than scripture becomes our source of wisdom.

In practice, creation care opens new doors for sharing Christ’s love. My husband and I have been invited to talk about Jesus in unexpected places, including National Public Radio programs, college auditoriums, and environmental conferences. Whenever possible, we give away free Bibles to those who don’t own one, enabling seekers to learn more about the scriptural call to care for the earth.

In fact, we find that it’s counterproductive to turn this into an either/or equation. We can and should be concerned with telling others about Christ while also caring for his creation. Both callings are based on the same motivation: loving God and loving our global neighbors, including future generations.

Shouldn’t we be worried about saving souls? Absolutely! But we should also work to protect God’s creation, or we may lose the opportunity to save any souls.

A Question For You

Once we respond to queries like those above, we often like to ask a question of our own, which my husband first posed to a skeptical audience: If you believe in an all-powerful God, as we do, and the only purpose of life is to get into heaven, then why didn’t God just have us born in heaven? Why were we born on earth?

The answer, of course, is that life on earth matters. What we do on earth matters. God created the earth and cares for it. He called it “good” and gave us the responsibility to care for it. When we care for the earth, we are participating in the work of God.

Life is not merely preparation for heaven; it is also an opportunity for us to put heavenly principles into practice here on earth. God loves to redeem, restore, and renew, and he longs to involve us in the process. God created us on earth because this is a place where we can actively participate in his work of redemption.

A centerpiece of our faith is the resurrection of Christ. Jesus lives, here and now, and we are already participating in the first fruits of the new creation.

Back on the mountaintop

Back at the retreat center, the sun was getting hotter and the kids were beginning to get restless, so my husband and his new friend wrapped up their conversation with warm wishes on both sides. As the children gathered up the picnic utensils, their father asked where Matthew was preaching the next day—a sure sign that the discussion had remained not only civil but gratifying on both sides. Though our starting points may have seemed quite different on the surface, our shared belief in Jesus and the primary role of scripture in our daily lives allowed each to listen, to learn, and—ultimately—to love one another.

“Until we meet again, brother,” Matthew said in parting.

The man extended his hand. “Yes, we shall meet again.”

Matthew and I headed back to our cabin. Before we settled in for a delicious afternoon nap, my last waking thought was “on earth as it is in heaven.” One day, God will use fire to purify the earth, and all the nations will be healed in the shade of the Tree of Life, watered by an unpolluted river. And it will be very, very good.

Majority of Americans Care About Environment as Much as Their Finances

RELEVANT Staff — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 21:01:36 +0000

Three in five Americans care as much about saving the environment as they do about saving money, according to a recent survey into sustainability habits of 2,000 U.S. residents.

But let’s not applaud this news just yet.

While 64 percent of those polled claim to care about the health of the planet and their wallet in equal measure, we have to wonder if that’s really true or just what they think they should say. Sort of like how everyone says we should brush our teeth every day but only 54 percent of young men actually do.

Still, 66 percent of respondents said they’d be “willing to try anything that can help save the environment,” which is better than nothing. And many already practice easy habits every day.

Seventy-five percent of respondents said turning off the lights is an easy habit for them, while 66 percent make sure to turn off running water whenever possible. And while 63 percent choose to shower rather than bathe, but given the choice, they’re much more likely to opt for showers shorter than ten minutes (60 percent) over ones with colder water (25 percent).

Overall, every person’s contribution has the power to make a difference. Julie Clawson, author of Everyday Justice: The Global Impact of Our Daily Choices, spoke to RELEVANT about how each individual contribution can make a lasting impact on society.

“On one hand, it is a matter of scale,” Clawson explained. “Get enough individuals doing the same thing, and their impact will be significant. There is something about the collective ‘we’ that multiplies our impact and effects great change. When one person starts living differently, and gets a friend on board, and then perhaps a small group or an entire church, [they are] making a difference that extends far beyond [themselves].”

What Do You Do When You Can’t Care About Every Issue?

RELEVANT — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 15:00:24 +0000

You’re tired. Absolutely and utterly exhausted. Slavery. Genocide. Racism. Climate change. Refugees. Poverty. Women’s rights. Water. Life and human dignity. The list of social justice issues you need to know, take a stand about and thoughtfully engage is seemingly endless.

Many of us have been actively fighting injustice issues for years. Socially conscious millennials have spent much of their lives fighting for what they believe is right.

What’s making it even worse is the lack of reliable information. Throughout the last election cycle, Americans saw fake news sites not only gain traction, but become viral phenomena. People can take strong stands about topics and events t hat simply aren’t true.

It’s exhausting, and that exhaustion can quickly slide into apathy. Cause fatigue. It’s easier to just block it all out and enjoy the silence of not engaging at all.

With all the causes and need stands to be made swirling around us, is it even possible to focus on worthy causes and avoid turning apathetic?

Start where you are

Jason Fileta and Scott Bessenecker have both been working in social justice for years, learning the keys to inspiring people to take action on issues of justice the hard way.

“We don’t want to be that person who rushes past someone bleeding by the side of the road on our way to a protest rally,” says Bessenecker, who is an activist and author of Overturning Tables: Freeing Missions From the Christian Industrial Complex. “We must develop that sensitivity, where an elderly person struggling with their luggage or a marginalized person being harassed right in front of us enters our field of concern and moves us to action.”

Join a community of activists

Central to Fileta and Bessenecker’s advice is finding a community to walk with during the fight.

“We only fail when we believe we are good enough and strong enough to do it alone,” Fileta says.

Similarly, Bessenecker warns that fighting alone can have dangerous consequences:

“The worst thing someone trying to make a difference can do is to develop a messiah complex, believing you are the answer to the needs of the world. Know the one, small part you play. If you attempt to do it all, it feeds your ego and robs others of the roles they have to play in the greater effort.” This isn’t new information. Fighting for justice within community is an idea as old as the Bible. Fileta and Bessenecker point to the words of King Solomon, who writes in Ecclesiastes 4:12, “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Later, Jesus commands His disciples to share the Gospel by going in pairs.

From the Bible’s perspective, working for justice is something done best—if not always—in the context of community.

Balance your life

But there are also people who have spent nearly their entire lives working for justice and are still going strong. What’s the difference?

“Remember that a field which lies fallow on a regular basis produces more than one that is harvested year after year,” Bessenecker says.

He means the dangers of burnout are naturally prevented by the rhythms God intends for the Earth: God created Sabbath for a reason.

Prioritize your faith

In order to give our all, Fileta says, we must be filling ourselves back up somehow. Christians, if you haven’t noticed, don’t miraculously have an ever-running fountain of energy.

“Honestly, sometimes I don’t have the strength,” Fileta says. “I fall prey to escapism, fatalism and exhaustion just like most people.”

His point is clear: Don’t let life overwhelm you so much that you end up ignoring your best option for comfort and revitalization.

Realize you will fail

Failure is a fact of life.

“If we can find ways to embrace that truth and trust in God, we will find the time to rest and return to our work with renewed passion and energy.”

Prepare and take action

While saying a few words on social media might be an entry point for you on an issue, actual action has to be the next step. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Ideas to Take Real Action:

Animal Rights
Volunteer at your local animal shelter or animal hospital. Walk the dogs. Clean the kennels. If you are able to, foster an animal until a permanent home can be found.

Environmental Justice
Take part in ride shares to work and the store. Buy used rather than new. Take public transportation. Plant some trees. Connect with groups like the Micah Challenge (www.micahchallengeusa.org) to learn the spiritual elements involved in climate justice.

Human Trafficking
You can only report human trafficking if you know what to look for. Thankfully many local community programs and organizations can educate you. Visit sites like www.humantraffickinghotline.org to educate yourself on what constitutes human trafficking in the U.S.

Poverty
Get to know families in your community who are living on SNAP. Make them real people, not numbers and stats and vague stories out in the universe. Talk through their hardships and help them in ways you feel God is leading you.

Pro-Life/Pro-Choice
No matter where you stand on abortion, find someone who holds the opposite view and is willing to have a conversation with you. Neither side wants an increase in abortions, so how can you work together to decrease the number of people seeking them? You won’t agree on everything, but you can learn from a civil conversation.

Racial Justice
Make friends with people of different ethnicities and listen to their stories. Call your state or national representative (get the info at senate.gov and house.gov) and ask them to repeal unjust laws and practices that disproportionately target people of color. Request all law enforcement personnel wear body cameras for the protection of law enforcement and the citizens they are sworn to protect.

Refugees
Contact organizations serving refugees like World Vision and World Relief and find out their needs. Call your representatives to urge fair treatment of refugees. “Adopt” a local refugee family or simply donate needed items like furniture.

Women’s Rights
The Violence Against Women Act has lost significant funding in recent years, putting women seeking to escape domestic violence situations at higher risk due to lack of available services. Call your elected representative and ask them to protect victims of domestic violence.

Scientists Have Made Liquid Trees Because, Sure

RELEVANT Staff — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 18:21:55 +0000

Serbia’s latest weapon in the fight against dirty air is a “liquid tree” — and no, we’re not talking about some fancy cocktail.

Belgrade’s urban photo-bioreactor is the first of its kind in Serbia, using microalgae to bind carbon dioxide and produce pure oxygen through photosynthesis. The result? Improved air quality and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Dr. Ivan Spasojevic, one of the masterminds behind the project from the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research at the University of Belgrade, “The microalgae replaces two, 10-year-old trees or 200 square meters of lawn.”

Of course, this isn’t just some feel-good project aimed at making the city look greener (although it certainly doesn’t hurt). Belgrade is the fourth most polluted city in Serbia, thanks in no small part to the two coal power plants nearby that are among the top 10 dirtiest plants in Europe.

However, even though these are technically good for the environment, maybe we should just plant a couple of trees instead of build a “a bus stop filled with goo.”

Why would you want a tree (home to birds and squirrels, rustles in the breeze, changes colors with the seasons, a subtle reminder that life ebbs and flows and grows and was here before us and will outlast us all) when you could have A Bus Stop Filled With Goo https://t.co/aFNVHEOAGG

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) March 29, 2023

Sewage? https://t.co/riVHi2J0zI

— Fred Simon (@FredSimonTLM) March 30, 2023

Wake up, new man made horror beyond your comprehension just dropped! https://t.co/BTgwaBEh0q

— Swig (@OldRowSwig) March 30, 2023

big day for people that wanted trees to be replaced by green slime in a glass tank (no one) https://t.co/LOoiQtOUbw

— Hurt CoPain (@SaeedDiCaprio) March 30, 2023

Still, it’s good to know people are working on solutions for areas where planting trees just isn’t feasible, even if it does look like a box of sewage.

An Impending Global Water Crisis is ‘Spiraling Out of Control’

RELEVANT Staff — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 18:02:37 +0000

The world is in hot water, and it’s not just because of the intensifying effects of climate change.

A new UN report warns of an impending global water crisis is “spiraling out of control,” as increased demand and population growth is putting pressure on water resources. The report shows that water use has increased by about 1 percent each year over the last 40 years. With changing consumption patterns and a rising population, this is set to continue.

By 2050, the number of people in cities facing water scarcity could nearly triple from 930 million in 2016 to up to 2.4 billion. And urban water demand is expected to increase by a whopping 80 percent by 2050.

But it’s not just cities that are affected: seasonal water scarcity is set to increase in regions where water is currently plentiful, such as in Central Africa, East Asia and parts of South America.

The situation is dire: Two billion people currently lack access to safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion have no access to safely managed sanitation. With urban and industrial growth, as well as agriculture using up 70 percent of the world’s water supply, it’s not hard to see why.

The report’s authors emphasize the urgent need for solutions, and better international cooperation to avoid conflicts over water is one of them. Flood and pollution control, data sharing and efforts to reduce planet-heating pollution should also “open the door to further collaboration and increase access to water funds.”

But the question is, will action be taken before it’s too late? There is already a severe water crisis in some parts of the world, with 10 percent of the global population living in countries with high or critical water stress. If the world fails to act, the crisis will only worsen, leading to dire consequences for plant and animal species, and ultimately, for humanity itself.

“There is an urgent need to establish strong international mechanisms to prevent the global water crisis from spiraling out of control,” said Audrey Azoulay, the director general of UNESCO, the UN’s cultural body. “Water is our common future, and it is essential to act together to share it equitably and manage it sustainably.”

Thankfully, global organizations have already been taking action to address the water crisis. Back in 2019, Edgar Sandoval Sr., president of World Vision, spoke with RELEVANT about how the non-profit relied on global partners to make a big difference.

“Reaching everyone in the world with sustainable water – well, that might take a miracle,” he said. “I assure you, it’s possible. And it can happen in our lifetime. Smart, passionate people are working on this – at World Vision, we affectionately call them ‘water warriors.’ They know the best ways to bring clean water to communities. They have the energy and the expertise, technology and tools. With the right infusion of funding and other resources, they can be unstoppable.”

Ocean Plastic Pollution Reaches ‘Unprecedented’ Levels

RELEVANT Staff — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 19:47:44 +0000

If you haven’t heard, our oceans are a bit of a mess right now.

According to a new study from PLOS ONE, there’s an estimated 171 trillion plastic particles polluting our waters. That’s the equivalent of around 2.3 million tons of plastic. If you’re thinking that’s a lot of plastic, you’re absolutely right. But the bad news doesn’t end there. The study also found that plastic pollution has rapidly and unprecedentedly increased since 2005.

So, how did we get here? The answer is simple: plastic production has soared in recent decades, and waste management systems have not kept up. Shockingly, only around nine percent of global plastics are recycled each year, meaning the rest ends up in our oceans. This includes plastic from land that might be swept into rivers and carried out to sea, as well as lost or discarded fishing gear.

The problem is that once plastic is in the ocean, it doesn’t decompose. Instead, it breaks down into tiny particles that are difficult to clean up. This means that marine life can easily mistake it for food or get entangled in it. Plastic can also leach toxic chemicals into the water, creating a dangerous environment for all living creatures.

But it’s not just the environment that’s at risk. Plastic is also a huge climate problem. Fossil fuels are used to produce most plastics, and they produce planet-heating pollution throughout their lifecycle.

So, what can we do about it? The study’s authors are calling for urgent international policy intervention. This is a complex issue, but one thing is clear: we need solutions that have teeth. The United Nations has agreed to create a legally binding global plastics treaty by 2024, which would address the whole life of plastics from production to disposal. However, there are big divisions over whether this should include cuts in plastic manufacturing, which is predicted to quadruple by 2050.

Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator and now-president of Beyond Plastics, believes that policies to reduce the amount of plastic produced in the first place are the only real solution. Companies are continuing to find new ways to pump more plastics into the market, making it impossible to curb the amount of plastic contaminating our oceans.

“New research is always helpful, but we don’t need to wait for new research to take action,” Enck said. “The problem is already painfully clear, in the plastic accumulating in our oceans, air, soil, food and bodies.”

Experts Predict the Ozone Layer Will Fully Heal Within 40 Years

RELEVANT — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 18:29:58 +0000

After decades of work to get rid of ozone–depleting chemicals, the Earth‘s protective ozone layer is on track to recovery by 2040, according to a panel of international experts backed by the United Nations.

The most recent report on the progress of the Montreal Protocol confirms that almost 99 percent of ozone–depleting substances have been phased out, and that by continuing current policies, the ozone layer will return to 1980s levels by 2040 and completely heal by 2066.

The ozone layer, which serves an important function for living things on Earth by shielding us from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation, was discovered to have a hole in 1985. Scientists soon realized that man–made chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, used in aerosol sprays and as solvents and refrigerants, were wreaking havoc on the ozone layer. In response to this alarming discovery, the international community adopted the Montreal Protocol two years later to begin the phaseout of nearly 100 synthetic chemicals.

The efforts to save the ozone layer not only benefit the health of the planet, but they are also proving beneficial in the fight against climate change. Although ozone depletion is not a major cause of climate change, experts believe the long–term effects of saving the ozone layer will help to reduce manmade impact on the environment.

The Biblical Reasons for Going ‘Low Waste’

Amelia Franklin — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 14:00:27 +0000

The low waste movement has recently graduated from a low rumble to a giant sweep throughout our culture. Plastic straws have been canceled. Lunchboxes are cool again. Shampoo comes in bar form.

What started as adapting a seemingly unattainable lifestyle (one that mirrors the world up until the late 19th Century) is now commonly discussed and lived by actors, bloggers and influencers living out of their self-built tiny home.

If you’re unfamiliar with the root of many low waste terms floating around, goingzerowaste.com defines “zero waste” as “to send nothing to the landfill.” However, many have found “zero waste” to be pretty much impossible, leading to the now more-popular “low waste” or “low impact” lifestyles.

Regardless of titles, people following these lifestyles are moving away from single-use products and toward more sustainable options, such as bringing sassy travel mugs to coffee shops and using beeswax wrap instead of plastic wrap. Some even track their garbage in jars, showing off the small amount of waste they produce each year.

Reducing waste might reek of rotting compost in the backyard, but the movement away from single-use plastics and other products has inspired me to heavily consider the products I bring into my home and how much waste I pitch each day.

Tons of blogs, websites, Instagram accounts and stores provide information, products and arguments for going low waste, which have encouraged and educated me. Alongside this, the movement has caused me to lean into the biblical call to stewardship or taking care of something that belongs to someone else. One of our calls as Christians is to steward the Earth given to us from the Lord, but this call is sometimes ignored or pushed aside for comfort or convenience’s sake, when in fact it should inform our lifestyles and purchasing decisions.

While it’s common and understandable for Christians to be skeptical of trendy cultural movements, the call to eliminate single-use products and excessive waste aligns with the Bible. Throughout the beginning of Genesis, we see the way the Lord carefully and purposefully created the Earth. We read that He called it “good.” We see how Adam and Eve were given the garden, animals and plants to name and take care of, and the succeeding books demonstrate how God’s people continued to see and worship the Lord through His creation.

In Psalm 24:1-2, David worshipped and wrote:

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”

This is such a beautiful image to consider. David portrays the image of God weaving each land and body of water together, making it His, but also handing it over as our dwelling place. His creations reflect Him and solely belongs to Him.

But then I think of the overflowing dumps and landfills, or people and animals affected because of uncontrollable garbage, and there’s a dissonance.

When the Lord gave His creation over to us, there was a stewardship placed upon us to take care of it as He would. We have strayed far from that call and we can see the repercussions stemming from that. Fast-food, single-use products and convenience have muffled out the call to simple, mindful living, and the result is an increase of greenhouse gases, an ocean brimming with waste and overflowing dumps filled with products that will never break down.

Here’s where the low waste movement comes in. Yes, it has a trendy note to it and means that there needs to be more preparation and thought put into purchases, but I see the “trend” as evidence of Christianity and culture colliding.

Low waste changes are small sacrifices when considering the weight of the call to take care of the Earth. Christians are not called to lives of accommodation and ease in any facet, but we allow it to creep in amidst the distractions of daily living. I see it as part of my calling to take care of what has been given to me, even if it takes more time and money (which, let’s face it, most good things do). As we creep toward the end of 2019 and shift into a new decade, let’s make 2020 the year we put back the plastic wrap and pick up low waste alternatives instead.

Looking for ways to move toward low waste living? Check out this article for some ideas.

The Spiritual Toll of America’s Food Waste Epidemic

Jayson D. Bradley — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 16:00:46 +0000

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” — John 6:12

I was driving down a backcountry road in September with an older Dutch woman from my church. We passed a field of apple trees littered with rotting apples that had fallen to the ground. My companion had a very visceral reaction.

“Pastor, my grandfather was a farmer in Holland,” she said. “He always taught us that wasting food was an evil sin. How do you feel about that?”

At the time, I didn’t know what to say. Like most Christians, I tended to think of sin as willful acts of disobedience. Apples fall off apple trees and rot on the ground. That’s just how it goes. In fact, that’s how trees reproduce.

But as I was recently reading John’s gospel, I was struck by this conversation again. After Jesus feeds the 5,000, he commands the disciples to gather all the food together so none would be wasted. It struck me that this food production was a miraculous act. Why worry about what was left? Jesus could recreate this miracle any time he chose, but that didn’t make this miraculous food any less important to him.

The Food We Waste

Did you know that the United States wastes half of its food supply? In fact, organic waste is the second largest component of landfills in the U.S. (and a huge contributor to greenhouse gases).

If you ask most people, they’ll tell you that they’re against wasting food. So why do we waste so much of it? In the 1960s, Americans wasted 12.2 million tons of food —by 2012, that number had ballooned to 35 million tons.

‘Beautiful’ Food

One of the big contributors to this problem is the American aversion to anything that’s not aesthetically appealing. We’d rather buy an apple covered wax to seal in its perfect appearance than buy an organic apple that appears imperfect. Farmers are forced to cull a percentage of their harvest purely because of imperfections in a fruit or vegetable’s appearance. An NRDC report showed that in California post-harvest culling, 30 percent of plums and pears were thrown out based on their appearance alone.

After farmers cull their produce, grocery stores remove more produce that is not attractive enough for their shoppers. Doug Rauch, the former president of Trader Joe’s, told The Atlantic, “Grocery stores routinely trash produce for being the wrong shape or containing minor blemishes.”

Arbitrary Expiration Dates

A 2016 survey by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic revealed that more than a third of respondents threw out food that wasn’t used by the sell-by or best-by dates, and 84 percent admitted to doing so periodically. The sad thing about expiration dates is that they’re seldom a reflection of food safety. In fact, once food passes its peak quality, it’s considered past its date. Why? Because expiration dates are about protecting a brand, not the consumer.

It’s estimated that the average household loses upwards of $475 each year due to trashing food after its expiration date.

Not Morally Neutral

Americans spend dramatically less of their income on food than the rest of the world. The average U.S. household pays about 6 percent of their income on food. When you compare this to countries like Egypt (43 percent) or Pakistan (nearly half of their income), it’s pretty staggering. This discrepancy has a pretty negative impact on how Americans view food waste.

As a culture, it would be ideal for us to look at our whole system of food production, sales and consumption to discover areas where changes could be made. Small changes to farm subsidies could have a dramatic effect on the supply side, making dramatic, positive changes in the national and international food systems. But because there’s big money to be made on subsidies, the likelihood for changes there are grim.

But there are things we, as consumers, can do to reduce the amount of food we waste:

Make meal plans. A lot of food is wasted shopping meal by meal.
Plan meals for ingredients you have. If you need to buy cilantro for a recipe, plan other meals to ensure it’s used before it goes bad.
Check your fridge and cabinets before shopping to avoid doubling up on what you don’t need.
Keep a list of what’s in your freezer so you can use it before it’s ruined by freezer burn.
Be careful buying in bulk. You’re only saving money if you use what you buy.
Set aside time for food prep after you go shopping. A lot of produce is wasted because it’s improperly stored or requires too much time to prepare when you want a quick snack.
Cook and freeze perishable items to use later.
Share meals when you go out. Most restaurants offer portions that are way too big.

The Miracle of Food

Jesus commanded the disciples to pick up the leftover food after he miraculously fed 5,000 people. It didn’t matter that the food was provided supernaturally—because, in truth, all food is a miraculous gift from God. And as long as there are people who don’t have enough, wasting food is a form of moral bankruptcy.

This article was adapted from jaysondbradley.com. Used with permission.

Americans Waste One Third of Their Groceries Each Year

RELEVANT — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 19:37:09 +0000

It’s time to face the facts: Americans are throwing some serious cash straight into the dumpster.

It’s no secret that Americans waste food. Every year, 108 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States, and an estimated 40 percent of all food production is sent straight to the bin. Even more alarming, over one-third of this waste happened in our very own homes.

Many think that restaurants and grocery stores are the largest sources of food waste, but research shows it’s our own kitchens. Most people don’t pay close enough attention to expiration dates, forget leftovers at the back of their fridge or overstock their pantry.

“Preventing food waste doesn’t rise to the top of most people’s list of priorities,” said Roni Neff, an expert in food system sustainability at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. “While most of us really dislike throwing out food, we forget, we change our plans, we choose not to eat foods we don’t want, we take the path of convenience.”

Food waste doesn’t just hurt our bank accounts, too. Almost 25 percent of landfill space is occupied by food waste. Landfills bury the excess food, which eventually breaks down and generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. The food we waste accounts for roughly 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions globally. As The Guardian put it, if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest contributor to climate change after the U.S. and China.

The U.S. government has set a goal of cutting food waste in half by 2030, and it looks like it’s going to require a lot of changes that start in our very own kitchens to see any kind of progress.

These Organizations Could Use Your Help This Time of Year

RELEVANT — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 19:00:10 +0000

The Christmas season is a time to remember the gift we’ve been given and the gifts we give to others in our lives. It’s also a good time to give back to people who truly need it — people fighting for change in their community, people who are looking for food or clothing or financial assistance. Volunteering typically increases over the months of November and December. And while it’s great to help out organizations in person, sometimes that’s not possible for everyone to do. Instead, many organizations could use financial assistance or simply advocates who help spread the word of their cause.

Money might be tight this year, so your ability to give may not be quite as robust as previous years — and that’s OK. Sharing these companies online raises their profile, and that’s a huge gift to non-profits as well.

Here are a few good people doing good work for important causes.

Racial Justice

Color of Change

The nation’s largest racial justice organization is also one of the most well-connected, advocating for change at high levels for a more equitable future.

Live Free USA

Live Free works with churches, educating and deploying congregations into communities to help fighting for racial justice at the local level.

Know Your Rights Camp

By mobilizing and educating Black and Brown communities, the Know Your Rights Camp helps people become more aware of their options in the face of injustice.

Prison Reform

The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

The NICJR not only works to help change the way America treats its prisoners but also works at helping educate communities, helping prevent people from getting caught up in crime in the first place.

The Equal Justice Initiative

Bryan Stevenson (author of Just Mercy, who was played by Michael B. Jordan in the movie of the same name) has done unparalleled work in the space of reforming America’s criminal justice system.

Innocence Project

The Innocence Project uses DNA testing to help exonerate the wrongly convicted and get people who don’t belong behind bars back out on the street.

Climate Change

350

350 is hard at work finding solutions to the fossil fuel crisis, ensuring a transition to renewable energy sources that protects jobs and communities.

Natural Resources Defense Council

The NRDC works to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water and the wild, and to prevent special interests from undermining public interests.

Conservation International

Since 1987, Conservation International has helped protect more than 2.3 million square miles of land and sea across more than 70 countries.

Hunger/Clean Water

Charity: Water

One of RELEVANT’s favorite charitable organizations out there — the brand that launched a movement and is determined to make the lack of clean water a thing of the past.

Feeding America

Hunger has never been bigger issue for Americans during this entire pandemic than it is right now and Feeding America is doing great work meeting the crisis with boots-on-the-ground volunteers and hot meals into homes that need them.

Convoy of Hope

Convoy is one of the most effective relief organizations in the world, blowing through their goal of providing 10 million meals in 2020 to delivering over 150 million.

Education

World Vision

One of the world’s most famous humanitarian aid organizations doesn’t just help keep children fed, but also makes sure they’ve got the tools and resources they need for a better future. If you can afford to sponsor one of their children, it’s absolutely something you should do.

College Possible

College Possible doesn’t want anyone to go without a college education who doesn’t want one and through intensive training and curriculum in low-income communities, their dream is becoming a reality.

First Book

There’s no education like a good book and that’s something First Book aims to provide for everyone in America, helping children across the nation build their own personal library.

The U.S. Government Is Paying to Move Native Tribes Affected by Climate Change

RELEVANT — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 18:00:27 +0000

Three Native American communities are receiving millions of dollars from the U.S. government to relocate their tribes due to climate change-related risks.

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced that the Quinault Indian Nation, located in Washington, and the villages of Newtok and Napakiak, both located in Alaska, will each receive $25 million to fund their relocation. The tribes all live along coastlines and rivers that are subject to flood and erosion risks.

“As part of the federal government’s treaty and trust responsibility to protect Tribal sovereignty and revitalize tribal communities, we must safeguard Indian Country from the intensifying and unique impacts of climate change,” said  Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Helping these communities move to safety on their homelands is one of the most important climate related investments we could make in Indian Country.”

The funding comes from investments set aside in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. The first step in the process will allow communities to move their most important buildings to more secure locations. The process is known as a “managed retreat,” and is considered to be the most cost effective way to build resilience in communities.

In addition to the three native tribes, eight other communities will receive $5 million each from the government for future climate resilience or plans for relocation.

Even with the funding, relocation can take years, as communities often struggle determining where they should move. And after that decision is made, it can take time to convince members of the community to leave behind the place they’ve always called home.

Religious People Are Least Likely To Be Concerned About Climate Change

Emily Brown — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 22:00:20 +0000

A majority of American Christians believe they have a responsibility for the Earth, but a large part don’t agree that climate change is a big deal.

That’s according to Pew Research, who published a comprehensive report on religious Americans’ opinions on the intersection of faith and the environment in the U.S. Of those surveyed, an overwhelming majority agreed that they had a sense of stewardship — completely or mostly agreeing with the idea that “God gave humans a duty to protect and care for the Earth, including the plants and animals.” However, less than half of self-identified highly religious participants agreed that climate change is a major problem.

Two-thirds of U.S. adults who identify with a religious group say their faith has multiple lessons on taking care of environment, and 42 percent say they have prayed for the environment in the past year. And yet, the topic of climate change is where many draw a line in the sand.

In fact, 38 percent of evangelicals argue that the environment is in God’s hands and therefore we don’t need to worry about it. But since the beginning, God has instructed His people to take car of the Earth — the very gift He spent time creating and crafting for His children. God is in control of all things, surely, but He has invited us in to be caretakers of the environment, too.

Not all hope is lost, though. Most Americans (57 percent) expressed a willingness to make sacrifices in the way they live if it could help future generations, including 60% of religiously unaffiliated adults and roughly half of evangelical and mainline Protestants. It will take more than most, though, to address the major problems future generations will face in the fight against climate change.

Report: The Majority of Plastic Put in Recycling Bins Ends Up in Landfills

Emily Brown — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 20:32:27 +0000

A new report has found that all the effort to recycle plastic has essentially been a waste.

Greenpeace USA has released a new report that reveals most plastic simply cannot be recycled, despite our best efforts. U.S. households generate roughly 51 million tons of plastic waste per year, but only 2.4 million tons are actually recycled.

The report shared that no type of plastic packaging in the U.S. meets the definition of recyclable used by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastic Economy (EMF NPE) Initiative. By EMF NPE standards, an item must have a 30 percent recycling rate to receive the “recyclable” classification.

So, your Coke bottles and most of the other stuff you’re putting in the blue bin is getting sent to the landfill.

The report found that most common plastics in the U.S. that many often believe to be recyclable fall well below the EMF NPE threshold. This includes common plastics found in bottles and jugs. When these products don’t meet the EMF NPE standards, they are sent to landfills and throw in with other trash that will be burned away, leading to widespread toxic gas emissions and worsening climate conditions.

“Single-use plastics are like trillions of pieces of confetti spewed from retail and fast food stores to over 330 million U.S. residents across more than 3 million square miles each year,” said Lisa Ramsden, Greenpeace USA Senior Plastics Campaigner. “It’s simply not possible to collect the vast quantity of these small pieces of plastic sold to U.S. consumers annually. More plastic is being produced, and an even smaller percentage of it is being recycled. The crisis just gets worse and worse, and, without drastic change, will continue to worsen as the industry plans to triple plastic production by 2050.”

The report includes several steps companies should consider taking to mitigate the problems associated with plastic recycling, from phasing out single-use plastics to adopting a Global Plastics Treaty to help set international standards.

“Corporations like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Unilever have worked with industry front groups to promote plastic recycling as the solution to plastic waste for decades. But the data is clear: practically speaking, most plastic is just not recyclable,” Ramsden said. “The real solution is to switch to systems of reuse and refill.”

A 19th Century Shipwreck Was Discovered in the Mississippi River

RELEVANT — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 20:46:26 +0000

A few months ago, the Mississippi River basin was flooding following a summer of historic rainfall through the Midwest. Now, the region is experiencing a drought, causing the Mississippi River to suddenly fall to historically low levels—leaving the shipping industry in a crisis and uncovering a long-lost shipwreck.

The river runs from northern Minnesota through the Midwest to its final destination in Louisiana. It’s a major channel for shipping and tourism, but within the last month, the river has dried up so much that far fewer boats are able to sit in the water, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Missouri residents have even been able to walk across a dry, exposed riverbed to an island that’s normally only accessible by boat. A Mississippi resident discovered human remains along the river’s new banks. Some Louisiana residents have received drinking water advisories due to ocean water creeping into the river from the Gulf of Mexico.

Down in Louisiana, a 200-year-old shipwreck has been uncovered along the banks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Experts were aware the ship was down there, but it is the first time the ship has been fully exposed.

Scientists have said they are surprised the river has dried up so much, even with the recent drought.

“There is no rain in sight, that is the bottom line,” Lisa Parker, spokeswoman for the USACE Mississippi Valley Division, told the Journal. “The rivers are just bottoming out.”

Humanity Has Wiped Out Almost 70 Percent of Animals in 50 Years

Emily Brown — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 19:56:37 +0000

Humans have wiped out nearly 70 percent of animal populations around the world in just 50 years, according to conservationists.

The World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Report found that wildlife numbers have fallen by 69 percent on average between 1970 to 2018.

To put it in a different perspective, the decline is equivalent to losing all the people in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Oceania and China.

Tanya Steele, the WWF-UK’s chief executive, said that the stark decline isn’t even the biggest issue. “For us, the biggest concern isn’t just the numbers,” she said. “It’s the fact that there is absolutely no action — world leaders are missing in action.”

The organization said while numerous factors have contributed to this decline, it appears that climate change has made the biggest impact. And it seems like no animal is safe — from mammals to fish, birds to primates, animals around the world are slowly dying off.

“The world is waking up to the fact that our future depends on reversing the loss of nature just as much as it depends on addressing climate change,” said Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF-US. “You can’t solve one without solving the other. Everyone has a role to play in reversing these trends, from individuals to companies to governments.

It cannot be stressed enough that climate change is not only real but it requires action. Especially by the Church. In Genesis 1, God commands His people to “rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28). Later in Genesis 6, God commands Noah to keep the animals alive while on the ark.

Christians are called to “serve and protect” creation (Genesis 2:15). That commandment will be hard to keep if there’s no creation left.

Art Is an Ally, Not an Enemy, in the Fight Against Climate Change

Tyler Huckabee — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 16:53:42 +0000

On Friday, a pair of climate activists took to London’s National Gallery and threw two containers of soup at Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.” The group is from Just Stop Oil, who released a statement saying the demonstration was planned “to coincide with the planned launch of a new round of oil and gas licensing” in the UK. Police arrested the two women.

NOW – Climate activists defile Van Gogh's Sunflowers at the National Gallery and glued themselves to the wall.pic.twitter.com/XgRDqyEqUO

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 14, 2022

“What is worth more, art or life?” said one, in a video recording of the incident. “Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?”

The reality of climate change inspires dramatic action. In fact, in some cases, it might even warrant it. If you take the scientific consensus seriously, and there’s no real reason you shouldn’t, our planet is growing increasingly unlivable. Of course, you don’t need to take scientists’ word for it any longer. You can simply read the news or, in many parts of the world, open a window and look outside. Rising oceans, turbulent weather patterns and worsening air quality is a prediction no longer. It is reality, and it is coming for us all faster than even the most bitterly cynical experts predicted.

Given these harrowing stakes, it’s not surprising that some people — especially younger people, who are facing the steepest toll for earlier generations’ inaction — are choosing to escalate the campaign to turn the tide. You can’t help but wish them well in this. But the pushback here isn’t about the necessity of dramatic action, but what kind of dramatic action. Because the answer to the question “what is worth more, art or life?” isn’t as simple as it sounds.

A famous scene in Star Trek Voyager finds the character Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) stuck in one of the franchise’s trademark ethical dilemmas. Three other characters have been assimilated into the Borg (Star Trek’s creepy robotic hivemind) and she can either leave them there to survive as a soulless cog in a nameless, faceless cybernetic organism or she can sever the connection, freeing them to live life as individuals but giving them only one month to live. Ultimately, Seven of Nine chooses to free them from the Borg, condemning them to a few short weeks to live — but to live freely. “Survival is insufficient,” she determines.

Survival is insufficient.

Of course life is worth more than art. But art is also part of what makes life so worthwhile. We are not protecting the planet so that we can simply have a habitable hunk of rock in the solar system with oxygen and edible food. We want to rescue the planet from the rapidly worsening climate so that we can flourish as people, falling in love, making big meals, going on walks, serving one another, falling in love and, yes, creating and enjoying art. In other words, in the fight against climate change, art is on our side.

Van Gogh’s painting was behind glass and, according to a statement from the museum, suffered no permanent damage from the demonstration. So, no real harm done, although it’s hard to imagine this protest changed any minds. Direct, dramatic action is a valid and even essential tool in any movement, especially one with stakes this high. But focusing that action at real targets — systems in need of transformation and in some cases, abolition — is key. And at least some action needs to be saved to preserve the things we want saved, as a reminder of why the movement is so important. And if Van Gogh’s paintings aren’t worth saving for future generations to marvel at on hospitable planet, then what is?

Evangelical Report: Fighting Climate Change Is a Great Way to Love the Poor

RELEVANT — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 19:00:59 +0000

The National Association of Evangelicals has released a lengthy new report, affirming that climate change is real and arguing that it is a particular threat for the world’s poor. The NAE says climate change is neither a “fictitious or far-off threat,” and says fighting against it must become part of the Christian Church’s obedience to biblical commands to love “the least of these.”

The 95-page report is titled Loving the Least of These and contrasts how quick Christians often are quick to give in the aftermath of a natural disaster versus how slow they have often been to take steps to prevent the types of disaster climate change causes. As the report puts it, “people need to see not only our witness in relief efforts after a disaster but also that we understand what causes natural disasters to be so terrible. They need to see not only that we will clean up after the disaster but also that, whenever possible, we will help prevent situations that displace millions.”

The report argues that climate change is currently making it harder to care for the poor, displacing unprecedented millions and increasing the amount of resources needed to care for those in poverty.

The report is notable for its audience. In the United States, White evangelicals are the religious group least likely to believe that climate change is caused by human activity, with only 54 percent saying they believed so. By comparison, 72 percent of White nonevangelicals agreed along with 81 percent of Black Protestants. In 2021, Franklin Graham wrote that climate change was “nothing new.”

But in the report, the NAE is not only concerned about the reality of climate change, but its many victims, who are often already living in poverty. They argue that you don’t have to believe the science — you can just look at the headlines and see the record numbers being forced to flee their homes or grapple with other terrors of a rapidly changing environment. “For too many in this world, the beach isn’t about sunscreen and bodysurfing but is a daily reminder of rising tides and failed fishing,” as NAE President Walter Kim writes in the introduction. “Instead of a gulp of fresh air from a lush forest, too many children take a deep breath only to gasp with the toxic air that has irritated their lungs.”

The report urges Christians to face the future with the hope that comes from obedience to God’s call to protect those in trouble.

“The story that science and experience are telling us about the Earth’s climate is one that impacts vulnerable people around the world the most,” the report concludes. “The threats we face are real, and the needs can feel overwhelming. We know that God is at work in our world, accomplishing his purposes. We follow the One who calmed the stormy seas, the One who conquered sin and death. We approach the future not with fear but with confidence and hope.”

Pakistan Is Pleading for Help Amidst Unprecedented Flooding

RELEVANT — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 15:36:05 +0000

The death toll in Pakistan stands at 1,100 but is expected to rise sharply as floods devastate the region. Officials estimate that around 33 million of the nation’s 220 million residents have been affected by the floods, with at least a million homes destroyed, over 2,000 miles of road wiped out and nearly 500,000 people trapped in displacement camps with nowhere to go and no plans for what’s next.

“I can say without any fear of contradiction, this flood situation is probably the worst in the history of Pakistan,” said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who blamed Western nations for failing to heed the warnings of climate change, which is now disproportionately impacting nations that have contributed relatively little to our rapidly warming planet.

“We want to showcase this to the developed world in particular,” said Ahsan Iqbal who is the minister for planning and development while speaking to reporters in Islamabad. “The quality of life that people in the West are enjoying today, someone is paying the price in the developing world.”

Indeed, experts do say there is a link between the rising number of extreme weather events around the world. In the past, the U.S. and other nations of similar wealth have been hesitant to take action on climate change, and that hesitancy has not only cost the planet precious time, but has been the cause of a lot of weather-related chaos in parts of the world less dependent on greenhouse gas emissions.

“This super flood is driven by climate change — the causes are international, and so the response calls for international solidarity,” Julien Harneis, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan, told the Washington Post. “We are literally on the front lines of unfolding climate catastrophe. It will happen to others later. It’s time we all took notice.”

Kim Kardashian and Kevin Hart Got Busted by California’s Water Police

RELEVANT — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 15:27:14 +0000

Celebrities. They’re just like us. They reach for the top shelf! They fill their hands! They are in trouble for using too much water!

OK, maybe that last one isn’t terribly relatable, but it’s the state of things for stars like Kim Kardashian, Kevin Hart and Sylvester Stallone. Southern California continues to get punished by brutal drought conditions that have authorities putting tight restrictions on water waste. But restrictions are for lesser people, and these celebs cannot be bothered to abide by the rules — according to the Los Angeles Times.

Kardashian, Hart, Stallone and other stars like Dwayne Wade and Kim’s sister Kourtney were among the two thousand Californians to get slapped with a “notice of exceedance” by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District. That means that their homes can now graced by the presence of a “flow restrictor device,” which does exactly what it says on the tin when it senses you’re going over your water budget.

Sound a little invasive? Well, desperate times call for desperate measures, and California is in desperate times here. The unprecedented water shortage emergency has all Californians being far more mindful of showers, lawns and other water-heavy activities. Well, almost all Californians.

One of the difficult things to get through us Americans’ heads at a time like this is the idea of communal effort. We’re a highly individualized people, and it is not in our societal wiring to think about the ways our actions impact the community we live in. So when, say, Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union overshoot their allotted May water budget by 489,000 gallons, that has an impact on how much water other people have. And not just people either, but fish, birds, forests and farms. When it comes to a massive effort like this — and it is massive, California is trying to reduce its water usage by 50 percent — everyone needs to do their part.

So, in that sense, stars are not just like us. But they do live in the same world we do, and that means they have a responsibility to keep it livable.

The Monarch Butterfly Has Been Added to the Endangered Species List

RELEVANT — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 20:00:13 +0000

If someone tells you to picture a butterfly, odds are you picture the monarch butterfly. The telltale black-and-orange colors are among the most universally recognizable of any insect in the world, making it one of the very few bugs that most people are cool with. And we hope you’ve enjoyed your time with them, because it’s getting a little perilous. Scientists have officially added the monarch butterfly to the endangered species list.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature doesn’t take these steps lightly, since labeling a species “endangered” means serious and sometimes dramatic steps must be taken to repopulate the world with monarch butterflies before it’s too late. Rough numbers are difficult to come by, but scientists believe the population of monarch butterflies in North America has declined between 22% and 72% over the last decade — a free fall conservationists are desperate to reverse. In the eastern U.S. — which was teeming with monarch butterflies as recently as the 1990s — the population has fallen between 85 percent and 95 percent over the last 25 years or so.

The reasons for the dwindling numbers are myriad. Their spectacular annual migration covers thousands of miles, the longest of any insect species known to science, but they are suffering from the loss of habitat to farming and urbanization, the widespread use of herbicides and pesticides and, of course, the scourge of climate change.

There is some silver lining to the news. First of all, monarch butterflies in Central and South America were not listed as endangered. Second: We have time to act. Much of the decline in butterflies can be blamed on big, grassy suburban lawns that are pretty to look at but are effectively deserts for butterflies. Scientists suggest planting milkweed, a pretty flowering plant that caterpillars feed on. Not only will you be helping pull a species back from the brink of extinction, your yard will get both a flowery boost and an extra dose of butterflies.

More good news? Tigers, which are on the endangered species list, have experienced a huge bounce back, with a 40 percent population increase since 2015. Tigers aren’t out of the woods yet, but the new numbers are encouraging proof that the international union’s efforts can make a difference.

This Real Life Weather Report Feels Ripped Straight From ‘Don’t Look Up’

Tyler Huckabee — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 17:00:12 +0000

Don’t Look Up, Adam McKay’s thinly veiled satire of climate change inaction, took a lot of critical heat for being a little too on the nose. And maybe that’s fair but, then again, if your movie starts to mirror real life than maybe it’s not so much “on the nose” as it is “prescient.” That’s the situation we’re looking at here, as Latvian programmer Jānis Lācis dropped a Don’t Look Up clip next to a weather report from GB News in the UK, and the parallels are so striking it’s almost uncomfortable.

#DontLookUp in real life. pic.twitter.com/K9hiFtxqa4

— Jānis Lācis (@Lidotajs) July 19, 2022

The first clip finds Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tyler Perry and Cate Blanchett talking about keeping “the bad news light.” The second clip finds real life news anchor Bev Turner interviewing meteorologist John Hammond about the nation’s (then) upcoming heatwave.

“By early next week, you can scratch 20 degrees, it could well be 40 degrees [104 degrees Fahrenheit],” Hammond said. “I think there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of excess deaths. … This will not be nice weather. This will be potentially lethal weather.”

Turner then channeled the climate — er — asteroid denialists in McKay’s movie, chiding Hammond for being a downer. “I want us to be happy about the weather,” she said. “I don’t know whether something’s happened to meteorologists to make you all a little fatalistic.”

Well, Hammond turned out to be right. The UK did hit a record 40 degrees earlier this week, and while there’s not yet an exact death toll, Buzzfeed News points out that heat is earth’s most lethal weather event.

Earlier this year, McKay spoke to RELEVANT about his belief that people of faith can be the turning point in humankind’s fight against climate change. “I really feel like faith is going to be the bedrock of this movement,” he said. “Because faith taps into our higher powers, our humility. We need to, first off, supplicate. We need to get down, bow our head on the ground and acknowledge reality.”

You can read McKay’s full conversation here.

Kylie Jenner Should Throw Her Private Jet Into the Trash

Tyler Huckabee — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 15:42:16 +0000

Last week, the world’s youngest self-made billionaire posted a photo with Travis Scott in front of their respective private jets. “You wanna take mine or yours?” she captioned the photo. How about this: Take them both to the world’s largest dumpster and leave them there to rot, thereby doing more to slow climate change in a single action than most of us could do in our entire lives.

This is nothing personal against Kylie Jenner or Travis Scott, both of whom are famous. That’s fine. People are allowed to be famous. There’s no law against it. But there should be a law against using a private jet for a three minute commute, which Kylie has done.

Aviation’s toll on the climate is enormous, but the vast majority of it is the fault of the superrich. Just one percent of people cause 50 percent of aviation emissions, meaning private jet aficionados like Scott, Jenner and her family are pressing their exquisite pedicures on the gas of climate apocalypse every time they take their jet on a quick spin down to Cabo or wherever.

Look, we all have a part to play in the climate crisis. And many of us are taking responsibility. But let’s be real. If you got a brand new plastic straw for every single sip of every single smoothie you drink for the rest of your life, the toll on the environment would still pale in comparison to one of Jenner’s flights from Camarillo to Van Nuys.

Our part to play will look like small sacrifices in travel and calling on elected leaders to enact sound climate policy. These are good things, and as responsible inhabitants of the planet and stewards of God’s creation, we should do them. And for people like Jenner and Scott, it looks different. It can look like throwing a private jet in the trash. It should.

Private jets cause somewhere between five to 14 times more pollution than a commercial plane, and in this case, that private jet is frequently used for a trip that would take about 45 minutes by car. A car that a celeb like Jenner wouldn’t even have to drive! She has people who get paid to drive it for her. Or, if she felt like it, could take any one of her luxury cars or pick up a new one just for the fun of it. None of these actions would exactly make Greta Thunberg stand up and cheer, but they’d be a good deal better than taking your carbon emissions toy to run errands.

There is no need to ever fly a private jet again. Except once. To fly it into a dumpster and leave it there.

Europe’s Deadly Heatwave Almost Defies Belief

Emily Brown — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 14:15:10 +0000

All across Europe, countries are experiencing unprecedented heatwaves that absolutely no one is prepared for. European countries are no strangers to heat, but temperatures over the last month have been rocketing upwards and are boq breaking records each week. In nearly every country, the thermometer is hitting between 104 and 110 Fahrenheit degrees this week.

Americans — particularly those in the American South, who are no strangers to triple degree days in the summer — may think that Europeans are just being overdramatic. But it’s important to remember that Europe hasn’t experienced a summer like this before, and does not have the infrastructure to manage this kind of heat. A little less than five percent of homes in the United Kingdom are equipped with air conditioning, and the nation issued its first-ever Red Warning for extreme heat in England, which indicates there’s a “danger to life.” On Monday, the UK Royal Air Force had to ground flights because the runway had melted.

Meanwhile, thousands in France have been forced to evacuate due to wildfires spreading throughout the souther region, and their spread is abated by the intense heat. About four percent of French homes are equipped with AC.

Back in 2003, Europe experienced a heatwave that killed more than 70,000. So far, more than 1,000 people have died from heat-related illness in Spain and Portugal alone.

This is what the United Nations meant when they warned late last year that we’d begin to see the effects of climate change more prominently. Extreme temperature leads to extreme weather which ultimately will lead to extreme deaths. These heatwaves may be unprecedented but experts anticipate they are going to become increasingly normal, as global inaction on climate change means the world continues to get cooked by higher and higher levels of human action while scientists and activists beg for change. Climate change skeptics are fond of pointing out that scientists have long promised dire consequences of ignoring climate change. But the consequences are everywhere, and growing so blatant that even people with relative wealth are starting to find it hard to ignore.

This Is the Only Planet We’ve Got

Tyler Huckabee — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 12:30:17 +0000

Suppose you are going away for the week and ask a friend to look over your place. “Help yourself to anything,” you say. “Make yourself at home. You’re in charge.”

You come back a week later and your home is a pile of smoking debris, your friend sitting amidst the rubble. “What happened?” you scream, your belongings reduced to glowing embers.

“What?” says the friend. “You made it sound like I could do whatever I wanted.”

A ridiculous analogy, perhaps, but it’s hard to come up with a better one for the state in which we find ourselves. Our planet, the only one we’ve got, is burning up. Some people will dispute this, and I won’t spend much time here trying to persuade them otherwise. I’m not a scientist, so I get my scientific information from people who are, and the overwhelming majority of scientists agree that climate change is real, it’s our fault and the window in which we have to act is shrinking. I’m aware there are people — some of them scientists — who disagree. There are also people, some of them scientists, who don’t believe the earth is round.

In any case, this is the only world we’ve got, and it’s burning up. The ways in which this is a disaster can hardly be overstated. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that to keep the rise in global temperatures below the critical 1.5 Celsius mark this century, emissions of carbon dioxide would have to be cut by 45 percent before 2030.

That’s just 12 years away. But this is not just a physical, political, financial or even moral crisis: it is a spiritual one.

In Genesis 1:26, God announces the big plan to make some humans, saying, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

It’s the first thing we know about humans in the Bible. We’re made in God’s image, and we have “dominion.” The debate about what is meant by that word is almost as old as the book itself. What is this dominion supposed to look like? The Hebrew word is radah, which is pretty neutral. It doesn’t carry a connotation of a “benevolent” rule. It doesn’t necessarily have to mean a harsh one either. It’s pretty straightforward: you’re in charge.

This has given some people a window to interpret this idea of dominion as being an iron fist, giving humans free rein to do pretty much whatever we want. Writing off environmentalists as kooky tree huggers, such people exercise dominion like a dictatorship, often excusing their behavior by noting that God never intended any of it to last anyway. As a theology professor of mine at my alma mater said, “shoot the deer and step on the grass, it’s all gonna burn anyway.” Drill, baby, drill.

But even skirting the slipperiness of such a hermeneutic (we probably don’t want to go down a road in which we can treat anything fated to die however we want), such an interpretation of dominion is anti-biblical, even within the context of the Genesis passage itself. It’s important to note that this idea of dominion is couched within the idea of God’s own image. That is, we have dominion over these animals because we are made in God’s likeness. God’s dominion over us isn’t a harsh one. It’s lovingly devoted to human flourishing. So it’s safe to say that human dominion over the climate is supposed to be, as many theologians throughout history have determined, one of responsible stewardship.

I’d imagine most readers are fairly convinced of this. Very few people have an antagonistic attitude towards the climate. But I’m proposing that for the Christian, neutrality isn’t an option. It’s not enough to not be personally hunting animals into extinction. Stewardship means taking responsible action. It’s something we do, not a passive attitude of nature appreciation.

And unfortunately, given the state of things, we are going to have to do quite a lot. Perhaps, if other generations had heeded the warning signs earlier and been more responsible, we could get by with simple maintenance. But the house is falling apart now, and it is our spiritual responsibility to mount a full renovation project.

Some of it will be difficult but for Christians, radical obedience to God’s commands should come naturally. There’s no more reason for us to mock big, bold ideas to fix the climate than there was for the Israelites to mock David’s five smooth stones. Big, sweeping proposals like overhauling the way we travel, how we eat and how we make money should hardly be met with scorn by people whose own religious texts have very strict guidelines about all these things. Humans didn’t even eat meat until after the Fall, after all.

On Friday, an unprecedented Global Climate Strike will take place, which people from all over the world walking out of their jobs and schools to demand action. This moment has been led by the upcoming generation — one that has grown up with the climate consensus and faces a worrisomely uncertain future if their elders continue to drag their heels on reform. The pictures and videos have been inspiring, from Uganda to Australia to France. “There is no Planet B.” “Like the oceans, we rise.” “Unite behind the science.” These are all inspiring sentiments.

But for Christians, the science needn’t be the only thing we unite behind. We can also unite behind the charge given to humanity at the dawn of creation — a calling expressed before Adam took his first breath, at the sunrise of creation. The call to make ourselves at home and take care of it, our home, this planet; the only we’ve got.

Biden Implements New Steps to Protect U.S. Forests on Earth Day

Emily Brown — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 17:01:57 +0000

President Joe Biden is celebrating Earth Day by announcing new steps to strengthen the nation’s forests against the threat of climate change.

Biden will sign an executive order that aims to protect some of the nation’s largest and more mature trees, strengthen reforestation efforts and fight global deforestation. The order calls for the government to undertake the first-ever inventory of mature and old-growth forests on federal lands, senior administration officials told USA Today.

Over the last century, wildfires have grown aggressively throughout the U.S., leaving behind acres of burnt land and smaller forests. Climate activists have been calling on businesses, governments and even individuals to do their part to protect forests and decrease deforestation.

Earlier this week, climate scientists were arrested after protesting for change around the globe. Their focus ranges on everything from decreasing fossil fuel use to protecting national forests.

“It’s not political to tell the truth,” soil scientist Rose Abramoff explained. “Serving the habitability of life on this planet is not and should not be a political issue.”

Biden has set a goal of conserving at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. This new order requires federal agencies to set goals for reforestation and create reports on how government policies can be implemented to stop global deforestation.

The Future of the Climate Fight

Tyler Huckabee — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 12:00:11 +0000

In February, huge swaths of the central and southern United States were plunged into a full-blown crisis when a blast of frigid weather blew in from the Arctic. Power grids shuddered to a halt, leaving millions of Americans without electricity and heat as the thermometer barely dipped into the single digits.

Power grids are designed to handle worst-case scenarios like this. Operators anticipate extreme weather conditions and implement a strategy accordingly. But the Texas chill dropped to record-setting lows that no one anticipated, stretching the system several gigawatts beyond what it was designed to handle.

“No one’s model of the power system envisioned that all 254 Texas counties would come under a winter storm warning at the same time,” said Joshua Rhodes, an expert on the state’s electric grid at the University of Texas, Austin.

But increasingly, whether it be widespread flooding in Houston, unbearable summer heat, or now arctic winter storms, Texas is being forced to expand the idea of what’s possible when it comes to extreme weather. We all are.

While climate change has largely led to far fewer cold snaps in places like the American South, some climate experts point out that it has, counter-intuitively, also paved the way for the record low temperatures in areas not used to them, weakening jet streams that usually keep cold air confined to the poles.

This means that climate emergencies are getting more extreme and less predictable, and as America’s already aging energy infrastructure shows serious signs of wear and tear, experts are growing concerned that despite all the attention climate change has received, the window to act is closing.

“It’s too late for some things,” says climate expert Ben Lowe. “It’s too late for us not to feel the impacts of climate change.”

Lowe is the author of Green Revolution, a founding national organizer for Young Evangelicals for Climate Change Action and the board chair of A Rocha USA, a Christian environmental conservation organization. He’s been helping spearhead the charge to get the American Church involved in the fight against climate change for years and now, and he’s taking assessment of where things are.

“Communities all around the world are currently being significantly impacted by disruptions to the global climate system,” Lowe says, referring to his own current residence in Florida (sometimes called “Ground Zero for climate change”) as an example. “We’re seeing that [in Florida] in the form of vulnerability to stronger storms, stronger hurricanes, ongoing sea level rise that a lot of our coastal cities are preparing to adapt to.”

Some estimates put the price tag for Florida’s coming climate crisis-related damage at around $152 billion within the next 30 years. The total state budget is $96.6 billion.

This is to say nothing of the California wildfires, Louisiana hurricanes and rolling cycles of drought and flooding that are plaguing nations across the globe. The devastation long predicted by climate change scientists is here, and though many Americans have been sheltered from its worst effects so far, freezing temperatures in Texas are a reminder that time is nearly up. Not everything can be saved. But Lowe says not everything has to be lost.

“I mean,” Lowe qualifies. “If we start now.”

When it comes to addressing climate change, one of the major impediments is the sheer scope of the issue. The man-made factors that have contributed to climate change were built over centuries and embedded themselves in our way of life. Small changes like banning plastic straws and reusable shopping bags are well-intentioned, but are also a far cry of the revolutionary changes that will have to be made to really put climate change on its heels. The problem is systemic.

“It’s a very complex interconnected issue that brings in all sorts of other global issues too,” Lowe says. “One of my hopes in this next season is we’re going to start connecting those dots between issues like climate change, environmental protection, racial injustice and forced displacement and immigration around the world, as well as human health and other issues like that. They are all connected and we really need to understand how we’re working on the same team when we’re addressing all of these issues, instead of competing against one another for resources and attention.”

The interconnectedness of climate change and other kinds of justice work is complicated, but it’s vital for moving forward. If people who care about the environment can see those working on issues of racial justice, immigration work and economic equality as co-laborers towards a common goal, a new vision of abundance can flourish.

The changing climate is the chief fear for millennials and members of Gen Z, but it’s also connected to other areas of vital importance.

For example, centuries of city planning in New Orleans had led to predominantly Black neighborhoods getting situated around less desirable land — low relative to the surrounding areas and isolated from more populated parts of the city. The destabilizing effect on economic development in those areas helped maintain an economic disparity between Black and White residents. In 2005, 30 percent of Black people living in New Orleans didn’t own a car. How exactly were these people supposed to evacuate when Hurricane Katrina hit?

A week after the hurricane, a “significantly greater percentage” of residences owned by Black people remained flooded compared to all ethnic groups. As a result, the city’s overall Black population declined in the years after Hurricane Katrina.

It’s not just racial justice either. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that immigrants bear the brunt of extreme climate change and the International Organization for Migration found a “wealth of evidence pointing to [immigrants and refugees’] specific conditions of vulnerability.” In other words, immigration is a climate issue.

These are just two examples, but it’s an illustration of the way economic justice, racial justice and climate justice all have a part to play in tackling the same problem. Lowe says the future of climate change action will not just be climate change action. It’ll be the cooperative efforts of people involved in multifarious justice efforts pooling their resources to strategically work towards shared goals.

Even after you wrap your mind around the scope of the problem, the scope of the solution is daunting, and it’s one where even many who believe in the threat posed by climate change can get tripped up.

Many want to take action to save the climate, but balk at the price tag for real, measurable action, which often runs into the billions and will mean tangible cuts on many modern conveniences. It’s why people get queasy around extreme policy proposals, preferring less dramatic actions which will have less direct impact on our day-to-day lives. However, critics say the time for half measures is over and warn that failure to take dramatic action now will only necessitate even more expensive measures in the future.

Lowe is decidedly in the latter camp, and says that once we see climate justice as a gospel issue, the need for extreme measures becomes more obvious.

“The gospel calls us to be radical,” he says. “It’s to give up everything to follow Christ. We shouldn’t be afraid of things just because they seem larger or more radical. We should be radical people.

“And oftentimes, we’re not,” he continues.

The most well-known example of an extreme policy proposal is, of course, the Green New Deal, introduced by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). In a polarized political climate like the U.S., many didn’t even need to read the details of the resolution before determining how they felt about it.

Ocasio-Cortez (“AOC” to her fans) and Markey have occasionally disgruntled even members of their own party with their ideological purism, to say nothing of Republican voters. Their reputation as political firebrands is certainly not unearned, but it means their ideas face an uphill challenge on the bipartisan field.

Many Americans don’t really know what the Green New Deal actually says, outside of a few deliberately misconstrued talking points. However, it’s not necessarily likely voters would easily warm to it if they did. The resolution is ambitious, calling for sweeping changes not just to the nation’s climate and energy policies, but its entire economy. The Green New Deal calls for an enormous investment in clean energy jobs and infrastructure, all but decarbonizing the American experience.

That would mean, according to the Green New Deal, 100 percent renewable electricity in the U.S. within the decade — a goal that even sympathetic activists find difficult to imagine. And that’s easier than decarbonizing things like the transportation industry. The electric car is gaining popularity, but banning gasoline and diesel sales within ten years is a tall order even before you get to the issues of heavy transport and aviation. All that entails a seismic change in the economy, which the Green New Deal anticipates with a federal jobs guarantee, a feature of the Deal that enjoys the most popular support while simultaneously being maybe the most practically difficult to implement.

The Green New Deal isn’t the only option Americans have, but it has been the most high publicity attempt at shifting the conversation away from what’s politically possible to what’s practically necessary. Alternatives exist, but the Green New Deal is illustrative of just why these proposals are so often dead on arrival. The plan is expensive. Public will is fickle. Radical political action is seen as impolite.

Most American politicians were happy enough to give teenage Swedish climate activists Greta Thunberg a few minutes to testify before Congress, but the political interest in actually taking any action commensurate with her urgency is virtually nonexistent. That’s why, according to Lowe, dramatic action is necessary.

“This is an emergency. It’s a crisis,” he says. “It’s become a worse crisis because we dragged our feet. We waited too long. We’ve been so comfortable and happy with the progress and the comforts that fossil fuels and our current economic systems have brought us. And so, we’re starting to face calls for bigger change, faster change. And we need to take those calls seriously.”

But at the same time, Lowe cautions against Christians putting the entirety of the burden onto politics.

“I don’t think we should pin our hopes to the Green New Deal or anything like that,” he says. “But I also don’t think we should write anything off just because it seems more aggressive or ambitious than we think is realistic. We need to be aggressive and ambitious.”

This is the point he returns to again and again. Christians get to dream big when it comes to thinking about climate change. Pragmatism and being “realistic” may have their place, but Lowe is more concerned about starting with an assured moral compass rooted in the Gospel and then reverse engineering a plan from there.

“If [saving the climate] is the right way to live, then we should be having a serious conversation about how we get there,” Lowe argues. “Not saying, ‘Oh, that’s just not feasible.’ As Christians, I think we get to be among the most audacious people on the planet because we believe in a God in which all things are possible.”

Can there be real change?

That’s the final question. Grasping the scope of the problem and its solutions is one thing, but seeing people’s minds transform at an individual level — and transform enough that the movement gains momentum — can feel like the biggest part of the challenge.

But it’s also an area where Lowe says he’s seen the most action. “I’ve seen a lot of change happen,” he says.

Lowe says the key is to understand that the people you’re talking to do care about climate change, even if they don’t realize it. Almost any issue someone cares about is connected to climate change. The trick is helping people draw those lines.

“As one of my friends and an excellent climate leader and communicator Katharine Hayhoe says, everybody already has the values they need to care about these issues. They just have to help see how climate change connects with what they already care about.”

Take, for example, the scourge of human trafficking. Research suggests that in many countries, trafficking victims were forced into high-risk behaviors associated with trafficking because the increasing frequency of natural disasters has started to strain their traditional means of livelihood. A report from IOM Migration, Environment and Climate Change found that climate change has led to an enormous increase in the world’s number of displaced people and that “many displaced persons who see irregular migration as the only viable option to pursue better opportunities may seek assistance from human smugglers, placing themselves at risk of many of the forms of exploitation that are commonly associated with trafficking, such as sexual exploitation, forced labour, forced marriage, as well as organ removal.”

This is an upside about the scope of the problem. It’s true that climate change is affecting virtually every area of human life. But that also means that every human being has an onroad to get involved in the fight.

“Respect people and understand where they’re at,” Lowe says. “Listen to people and help bridge and integrate all of our concerns together.”

This is where the Church has a role to play. Because while it’s understandable that the rest of the world may get stuck in partisan squabbling, penny pinching and divisive rhetoric, Christians have a calling to bring unity to divisions, peace to conflict and hope to despair.

“Our Christian communities give us a way to actually transcend some of these political divisions and start with some common ground, which is our faith,” Lowe says. “And then work from there to help make sense and move forward.”

Scientists Are Being Arrested While Fighting Climate Change

Emily Brown — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 17:07:11 +0000

For over a week now, scientists around the world have been staging protests against major companies, organizations and governments to address climate change seriously.

“I’m willing to take a risk for this gorgeous planet, for my sons,” Peter Kalmus, a biological systems and climate change scientist at NASA, told Insider. “We’ve been trying to warn you guys for so many decades that we’re heading towards a f****** catastrophe, and we’ve been being ignored.”

Last week, Kalmus and three other scientists chained themselves to an office building of Chase Bank in Los Angeles. JPMorgan Chase has invested more money into fossil fuel than any other bank, according to the Huffington Post.

Kalmus and company aren’t the only scientists who have now been arrested during a protest. Soil scientists Rose Abramoff spoke with Earther about her evolving need to speak up about the need for climate change.

“It’s not political to tell the truth,” she explained. “Serving the habitability of life on this planet is not and should not be a political issue.”

The urgency to address climate change has been on the forefront of scientists’ minds for decades. Last year, the United Nations released an alarming report that argued it might be too late to turn back the damage. The chief of the report said their findings were a “code red for humanity.” According to climate change experts, rising temperatures, deadlier natural disasters and extreme weather make the future of our planet in trouble.

Scientists are doing everything they can to get the world’s attention. From staging protests at capitol buildings to chaining themselves to building, they’re taking a huge risk to share their story.

If you’re getting a sense of deja vu, it might be because this all feels like a scene out of Adam McKay’s latest movie, Don’t Look Up. In the fictional film, two scientists (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) do everything they can to warn the people of Earth that a massive meteor will soon destroy the planet. Instead of listening to facts and data, the scientists have to go to extreme lengths for anyone to take their findings seriously.

While a meteor is something largely out of human control, real life scientists are urging people of power that not only can they do something to diminish the impact of climate change, but they have to do something now.

McKay spoke with RELEVANT about how his fictitious story has real implications for our world. In fact, he believes it is up to the Church to speak up about climate change.

“I really feel like faith is going to be the bedrock of this movement,” McKay said about Christians getting involved in the environmental fight. “Because faith taps into our higher powers, our humility. We need to, first off, supplicate. We need to get down, bow our head on the ground and acknowledge reality.”

Dolly Parton on Climate Change: We Need to Be ‘Taking Better Care of the Things That God Gave Us’

RELEVANT — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:56:56 +0000

Heaven’s missing angel Dolly Parton sat down with National Geographic to talk about her tune “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” which was just voted the Volunteer State’s official new song. In the conversation, she talked about her love of Tennessee nature, and her concern about its treatment at our hands.

“We’re just mistreating Mother Nature. That’s, like, being ugly to your mama, you know?” she said. “That’s like being disrespectful, you know? Seriously.”

“I really think we all need to pay closer attention to taking better care of the things that God gave us freely and that we’re so freely messing up,” she continued. “We need to rethink that and do better.”

Tough talk from Momma Dolly, but the gentle approach towards moving the needle on climate change hasn’t really moved the needle much. Earlier this month, the UN issued a new report that could not have put its findings in starker terms, finding we are “firmly on track toward an unlivable world.” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the “litany of broken climate promises” made by world governments and global corporations that looked good on paper but were never acted upon.

In the famed 2015 Paris accord, world leaders pledged to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius this century — the bare minimum experts believed was needed to avert the most catastrophic of outcomes. But inaction and apathy has already led to one degree increase since pre-industrial times, contributing to a measurable increase in “flash floods, extreme heat, more intense hurricanes and longer-burning wildfires,” costing hundreds of billions of dollars and, far worse, human lives.

So Parton’s words are on the money, and if we care about her Tennessee mountain home, we’ll start demanding the real changes we need to ensure a hospitable planet for future generations.

Biden Is Allowing More Drilling on Public Lands and Waters Than Trump Did

RELEVANT — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 15:03:03 +0000

The environment was a point of major concern among former President Donald Trump’s critics, with the Trump administration’s hefty rollout of federal lease sales to oil, gas and coal companies becoming a point of particular concern among people concerned about fossil fuels. They were cheered by President Joe Biden’s pledge to halt new federal oil or gas leasing but now, one year later, Biden is actually outpacing Trump on that front, issuing even more leases for drilling on federal land.

In 2021, the Biden Administration set a record for the largest offshore lease sale, and now the Interior Department will auction off drilling rights on about 200,000 acres of Western states throughout the spring and a million acres in Alaska. All told, it outpaces Trump’s own record on fossil fuels.

It’s a huge blow to climate activists who’d hoped Biden would follow through on pledges to listen to the science on climate change and put action towards his stated beliefs about the value of investing in clean energy. Many of Biden’s most ambitious plans have run afoul political challenges, but not all of the administration’s spotty environmental record can be blamed on a divided Congress. There is so far no plan to address the mining in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, which accounts for an enormous amount of the nation’s green house gas emissions.

More troublingly, the federal government has worked against several environmental groups. While Trump lifted former President Barack Obama’s coal moratorium shortly after taking office, the current federal government fought to kick out a lawsuit to restore the moratorium, arguing against it on a technicality.

Jeremy Nichols, director of the climate and energy program at WildEarth Guardians, told Anchorage Daily News that “this administration seems to actually have a zeal for catering to the oil and gas industry, something that was very unexpected and now very distressing as the climate crisis ravages our nation.”

Harrison Ford’s Resurfaced Call To Take Action on Climate Change Is a Must-Watch

RELEVANT — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 14:17:44 +0000

Having safely restored peace and order to a galaxy far, far away and ensured the return of countless priceless artifacts back to the museums where they belong, Harrison Ford is ready to tackle another major problem: climate change. Actually, Ford has spent the better part of his career on the frontlines of environmental conservation efforts, serving as the longtime vice-chair for Conservation International and spearheading efforts to protect his beloved Yosemite National Park from privatization and exploitation.

In 2018, Ford delivered a stirring call to arms during the United Nations’ Climate Action Summit in New York, decrying the destruction of the Amazon rainforests. Ford rightly noted that individual actions — like driving cars and cooling our living spaces — have a relatively small impact overall on the climate crisis. The greater responsibility by many multiples lies on large corporations, and those are the entities Ford urges the rest of us to take to task.

Now This put together some highlights here.

'Stop giving power to people who don't believe in science.' — Actor Harrison Ford is warning us to address the climate crisis before it's too late pic.twitter.com/Z0Ors3hsJc

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 24, 2019

He also notes that while some Americans may be feeling the impact of climate change due to crises like the California wildfires or Texas’ mass power outage, it is by and large poorer nations that are facing the far more dire and immediate effects of our rapidly changing global environment.

“Those least responsible will bear the greatest costs,” he says. “So never forget who you’re fighting for. It’s the fishermen in Colombia. It’s the fishermen in Somalia who wonders where their next catch is coming from and wonders why the government can’t protect them. It’s the mother in the Philippines who’s worried that the next big storm is going to rip her infant out of her arms.”

You can watch the video in its entirety below.

How Becoming a ‘Tree-Hugger’ Can Change Your Faith

Jesse Carey — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 18:00:02 +0000

Dr. Matthew Sleeth loves trees. Not just because they are beautiful, but because he believes they can teach us a lot about God’s nature.

In his book Reforesting Faith: What Trees Teach Us About the Nature of God and His Love for Us, he unpacks the significance of one of the Bible’s most prevalent symbols.

We recently spoke with Dr. Sleeth about the book, the spiritual lessons we can learn from trees and the importance of protecting creation.

What drew you to these parallels between nature and deeper spiritual lessons?

It really began when I volunteered to plant trees around my church, and the pastor said I have the theology of a tree hugger. He didn’t mean it as a compliment.

I thought maybe my theology was wrong, so I went to scripture and read from Genesis to Revelation, and what I found astounded me. Trees are the most-mentioned living thing in scripture other than God and people.

There’s a tree on the first page of the Bible. We’re told to be a tree in the first Psalm. There’s a tree on the first page of the New Testament and on the last page of scripture. Every major event in scripture has a tree marking the spot. So what I found in scripture was different than what I was seeing and hearing in the church.

I’d like to start at the beginning, then. What can you tell me about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil mentioned in Genesis?

Well, the garden is filled with trees. If you highlighted every sentence that has a tree in it in the first three chapters of the Bible, you’ll highlight a third of scripture.

We’re told trees are beautiful in God’s sight. We’re told our place is among the trees. We are told our work was to dress and keep them or protect and tend them, and that’s where we started.

There are two particularly important trees, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and we’re told not to eat from [the latter] and that’s God assigning human agency to us. We are allowed to choose right from wrong, and of course, we made the wrong choice.

When everything goes upside down and Adam and Eve realize they are naked, they go undress the tree and tear fig leaves off a fig tree. When they hear God’s voice, they run and they hide behind trees, so trees are absolutely pivotal to understanding why the world is as messed up as it is today.

Another reference is the time Jesus cursed the fig tree. It’s a hard parable to understand. Is that something you were able to wrestle with when writing the book?

I think there’s a couple things going on there. First of all, the ficus family of trees is the only tree Jesus ever says by name. A fig is the first mentioned tree in scripture that we can identify, and it is the symbol of the separation between us and God. We were in communion with the Lord, but after the first sin we tried to hide ourselves with the fig leaves, and so the fig becomes a symbol of that separation.

That story [of Jesus cursing the fig tree] has two meanings: One is that a tree should not only have leaves, but bear fruit. We’re told that with our lives, we’re to not just exist but be fruitful. [Secondly] in the story in which Jesus calls Nathaniel as His disciple, Jesus knows exactly who Nathaniel is because He saw him under the fig tree. That’s Jesus’ way of saying there’s no more hiding from the Lord behind fig trees. I’m here. I see you.

What’s the significance of the tree as it relates to the cross?

God wrote this Bible and the story of redemption using trees. The only thing that can kill Jesus is a tree. To really unpack that you have to look at how many times people tried to kill Jesus. They tried to stab him as an infant, that didn’t work; they tried to stone him; they tried to throw him off a cliff. The only way you can kill Jesus is with a tree and Jesus knows that.

He’s telling His disciples, ‘I must be raised up on a tree.’ As we look back in the book of Deuteronomy, we find this curious line that ‘He who hangs on a tree is cursed,’ and Jesus has to take the curse on Himself that you and I rightfully deserve. Trees are essential to telling the gospel.

What was one thing that surprised you most while you were researching and writing this book?

I think it was just the sheer number of trees and their use [in the Bible] from one end to the other. The Bible refers to itself as a tree. The only thing Jesus ever harms is a tree, and the only thing that can harm Jesus is a tree.

Great Christian writers like Tolkien and Lewis and George D. MacDonald always cast the good guys as those who would take care of the trees and the bad guys as those who would [cut them down].

I think the big surprise for me is how far from the Bible the Church is today, [to the point where it’s] subtracting trees from the text. Some words I counted up in the Bible—tree, seed, leaf, branch, root and fruit—occurred 967 times in the King James Bible, but in the ESB they’ve been subtracted 230 times and in the NIV translation, 267. Our bible translators have literally taken these words out of scripture.

I’ll give you an example: We just went by Palm Sunday, and if you look at Mark 11:8 it says in modern translations that people went and cut branches in the fields. That’s ridiculous, you go and cut branches off trees, and that’s what it says in the Greek. Our theologians and translators have literally subtracted trees from scripture.

There seems to be such hostility toward ideas like climate change or other environmental initiatives. What would you suggest more Christians advocate for?

We have to recognize, first of all, in the United States we have the oldest, biggest trees. Not every country has been blessed like we are and some countries have not been as kind to their forests as we may have been.

There is a link between poverty and trees. If you take the most deforested country in the Western hemisphere—Haiti—it also happens to be the poorest. If you take the second-most deforested country in the Western hemisphere—Honduras—it happens to be the second poorest. I think we need to help those around the world who cannot afford to plant trees, and we need to take care of our own trees.

When you write this much about the way God puts an emphasis on nature and trees, does it influence your own perspective on conservation?

I believe the world is facing a number of environmental challenges in my part of the country. I live in Kentucky; the ash trees are virtually all going to die here. The lodge pole pines in the west are under a lot of stress at the moment, too. All over the world trees need our advocacy.

The first thing God put us on the planet to do was take care of the trees, and I hope that one of the outcomes of this book is that we’ll ask how we do that in a responsible manner that glorifies God.

What is your favorite tree and what meaning does it hold to you?

Sugar maple, hands down. It’s as if God got together with a committee of kids and they designed the perfect tree. I’ve seen them in their best latitude—northern New England—and they grow to massive size. They give syrup, the leaves are perfect…there’s just nothing I don’t like about a sugar maple.

You can make a Stratocaster [guitar] or Fender Telecaster out of maple wood, too. It’s just all over a great and beautiful thing. If you think about it, we’d only have the brass section if we hadn’t had trees. The music humanity has grown up with has mostly been made because we have trees. The Bible talks about trees singing, and we actually literally get to hear that when we hear a Stratocaster.

Report: The American Bumblebee Has Disappeared Entirely From Eight States

RELEVANT — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 15:17:15 +0000

While honeybees have long been in mysterious decline, new research says the American Bumblebee may taking the brunt of the catastrophe. Its population has declined by nearly 90 percent over the last two decades, disappearing entirely from Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Idaho, North Dakota, Wyoming and Oregon. In the Midwest and the Southeast, their numbers have been decimated by at least half. Now, activists are petitioning the government to intervene and prevent further decline.

Scientists say there are multiple culprits contributing to the bumblebee’s decline. Pesticides are a huge factor, disrupting bees’ communication strategies, interfering with their natural homing systems and making them more susceptible to diseases. Live Science found that the states that have seen the largest drop in bumblebee populations have also seen the largest jump in pesticide use. Loss of habitat has also taken a toll, with suburban sprawl and the proliferation of yards creating vast “deserts” for bumblebees across the Great Plains and the Southeast.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has started the process of determining if the American Bumblebee should be added to the endangered species list. Depending on the results of that survey, bumblebees could receive federal protections. “This is an important first step in preventing the extinction of this fuzzy black-and-yellow beauty that was once a familiar sight,” said Jess Tyler, a Center for Biological Diversity scientist, in a statement. “To survive unchecked threats of disease, habitat loss, and pesticide poisoning, American bumblebees need the full protection of the Endangered Species Act right now.”

Study: People Under 40 Should Expect an ‘Unprecedented’ Future of Climate Disasters

RELEVANT — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 14:02:49 +0000

A new study from the journal Science has found that a person born this year will face, on average, twice as many wildfires, almost three times as many droughts, crop failures and river floods, and seven times as many heatwaves as their grandparents did.

“We found that everyone under 40 today will live an unprecedented life in terms of their lifetime exposure to heat waves, droughts and floods,” said Wim Thiery, a climate scientist at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium. “This is true even under the most conservative scenarios.”

Thiery led the research, which is the first to study how the adverse effects of climate change will hit various demographics differently. It found that young people will bear a far heavier brunt of the climate change fallout.

But the intergenerational differences are mild compared to how much harsher the impact will be between people in different parts of the world. The study found that young people in developing nations will be hit far harder than they will in other countries. Even if nations follow through the greenhouse emission cutting pledge of the Paris Agreement, 172 million children in sub-Saharan Africa are still facing 50 times more heatwaves in their lifetimes, compared to the 53 million children facing a similar fate in Europe and Central Asia.

NBC News cautions that the impact could hit harder than the study predicts, since it only studied the frequency of severe weather. It did not study the duration and severity of these weather events, though other studies have shown that climate change is causing droughts, heatwaves and other weather events to be harsher and last longer.

The study also doesn’t account for the intersectionality of such events. A long heatwave and a drought are both ugly in isolation, but their combined impact is much worse in a multitude of ways, though climate scientists are unable at present to easily predict the overlap of these events.

Suffice to say, it’s hard to get a clear picture of exactly what the future will look like under climate change, but it will certainly very different and very difficult, especially for younger people and especially for younger people in developing nations.

The good news? How bad it gets remains up to world leaders and large corporations, and how seriously they’re willing to take the threat. The bad news is that, so far, even the most sympathetic of these entities has seemed unwilling to move with the necessary urgency on the issue. It remains up to the people to put the requisite pressure on them to do the right thing for generations who will grow up in the world they’re leaving behind.

Climate Change Has Four in 10 Young People Hesitant to Have Kids

RELEVANT — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 13:51:59 +0000

The decline in the U.S. birth rate has many experts scratching their heads, with many predicting a “jaw dropping” plummet in the number of kids being born. There are lots of different reasons for the plunge, but climate change is a big one. A new study finds that younger generations are concerned about the kind of world their children would be born into. In fact, four in 10 say the changing climate and government inaction on the crisis has them wary of having kids.

It’s the biggest study ever conducted on how young people feel about the climate. It found that six out 10 people between the ages of 16 and 25 are “very or extremely” worried about the climate. About the same number said the government wasn’t doing enough to protect the planet and future generations, and felt “betrayed” by older generations and governments who have either downplayed or ignored the crisis. Almost half say their anxiety about the changing climate affected their day-to-day life. 75 percent agreed with the statement “the future is frightening.”

The worsening climate has taken an enormous toll across the globe, driving many already food-insecure nations to severe drought as farmers can no longer grow crops in the same quantities or in the same fields they did for generations. Here in the U.S., our infrastructure is buckling under the demands of changing weather patterns, with deadly cold snaps in Texas and lethal heatwaves in the Pacific Northwest forcing local governments to scramble to keep residents safe.

So it’s no surprise that many younger generations are rethinking what it might mean to raise children in this kind of world. If people are serious about convincing people to start having kids again, they might consider making the world a better place to raise a family in.

This Month, 27 Species Were Taken Off the Endangered List — Because They’re Extinct

RELEVANT — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:58:37 +0000

As of this month, 27 species have moved from the endangered species list to extinct status, according to a new report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Sharks, rays, Komodo dragons and more were added to the IUCN’s Red List, which complies information on species conservation. The change has occurred as environmental disasters have destroyed ecosystems around the world. Last year, for instance, it was estimated that a billion animals were killed in Australia’s wildfires, upending the ecosystem and creating rippling effects to the environment.

Climate change has been a rising problem across the globe for years, with fast-spreading wildfires, unprecedented heat waves leaving hundreds in critical condition, and winter storms leaving thousands without power and supplies.

Christian Leaders Respond

In response to the ongoing fight against climate change, leaders of three prominent Christian denominations recently issued a joint statement calling on all people of faith to take action against the destructive impact of climate change.

Pope Francis, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew issued the statement as world leadership prepares for a major United Nations conference on climate change in early November.

“September is celebrated by many Christians as the Season of Creation, an opportunity to pray and care for God’s creation,” the trio wrote. “As world leaders prepare to meet in November at Glasgow to deliberate on the future of our planet, we pray for them and consider what choices we must all make.”

The trio ministers to more than 1.5 billion Christians, overseeing more than half of all Christians in the world. They urged that everyone, regardless of religious affiliation, step up and take better care of the environment.

“We call on everyone, whatever their belief or world view, to endeavour to listen to the cry of the earth and of people who are poor, examining their behaviour and pledging meaningful sacrifices for the sake of the earth which God has given us,” the trio said.

“Widespread floods, fires and droughts threaten entire continents,” they continued. “Sea levels rise, forcing whole communities to relocate; cyclones devastate entire regions, ruining lives and livelihoods. Water has become scarce and food supplies insecure, causing conflict and displacement for millions of people.”

Earlier this year, the U.N. released a report that can be summarized as a “code red for humanity.” Environmental disasters are happening at a much quicker rate than scientists predicted, leaving little time left to make significant changes.

Climate expert Ben Lowe said, “It’s too late for us not to feel the impacts of climate change. Communities all around the world are currently being significantly impacted by disruptions to the global climate system.”

UN: The Latest Climate Change Report Is ‘Code Red for Humanity’

RELEVANT — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 16:27:30 +0000

As almost everyone knows, climate change scientists have been laying on the horn for several decades now, warning of a coming catastrophe if humanity doesn’t make some dramatic changes. Less well recognized is how prescient those warnings have been, as heatwaves, forest fires, droughts and glacial melt have indeed accelerated at an unprecedented rate. There may still be some culture war value in denying the reality of climate change. But doing so looks increasingly deranged, as the proof is everywhere you look.

And it’s still worse than you might think. That’s the finding of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest groundbreaking report, the most significant study on climate change’s impact since 2013. It’s a bleak report, which predicts the world is actually getting hotter far faster than predicted. The temperature of the globe has risen faster since 1970 than it has in any other 50-year period since the time of Christ, and is expected to rise about 1.5 degrees more by 2030. The report says that a nearly two meter rise in the sea level “cannot be ruled out.”

This means more heatwaves, flooding and droughts, the results of cataclysmic climate damage that may not be reversible for centuries. The IPCC panel found that these changes are “unequivocally” driven by human activity, leading to the planet’s hottest decade in 125,000 years.

All this spells a “code red for humanity,” to quote the UN chief.

But of course, we already know all this. As climate scientist Katharine Hayho said on Twitter, “the headlines of today’s IPCC Working Group 1 report are no surprise. We’ve known them for years, even decades. Their power lies in the starkness with which they are presented. No more equivocation, nothing for recalcitrant entities to hide behind.”

In other words, we waited too long to act, and now we reap the whirlwind. It is, of course, not too late to reverse course and prevent things from getting worse, but the longer we wait the more drastic actions are required. And the actions required now are drastic indeed. The report says that if we can still adding CO2 to the atmosphere by 2050, it’s at least possible that the heating would “stabilize” at about 1.5 degrees Celsius. That’s not great, but it’s a certainly preferable to continuing down the road we’re on.

But ceasing all CO2 production in thirty years would require a sudden and dramatic shift away from fossil fuels towards more sustainable and renewable energy sources. For most of the world’s biggest producers of CO2 like the United States and China, the requisite urgency has been decidedly lacking. And the ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica are likely to be the irreversible casualties of our apathy.

Christians haven’t always been the climate champions that we could be. White evangelical Protestants are the least likely religious demographic in America to agree that human activity is warming the earth. This is odd considering that Christian teaching has always held that humanity has a sacred duty to honor God’s creation. Climate skepticism has sunk its claws deep into the Christian Church and while it may be too late to dodge a hotter future for earth, it’s never too late for us to repent and commit to doing better in the future as advocates for climate justice.

Five Things Everyone Should Do to Live More Sustainably

Kristi James — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 13:00:00 +0000

In her book 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, author Jen Hatmaker mentions this tweet from @xianity: “Today is Earth Day, or as conservative evangelicals call it, Thursday.”

I grew up in a suburban, middle-to-upper-middle-class Christian family. Although I can’t quite pinpoint where it came from, I definitely held what I’ll call a “dominion view” of the relationship between Christians and creation. God created the world, and he gave man dominion over it. So those hippies who threatened to make us all recycle had it wrong; we could use the earth and everything in it as we pleased.

As an adult, I see things differently. I live in the mountains of western North Carolina and parts of our neighborhood have amazing views of the Blue Ridge. When I stop in wonder and breathe it all in, I’m amazed at God’s glory. The beauty of God’s creation points me to Him, and as a result, my instinct is to care for it, not to use it and discard it.

So what now?

It can be intimidating to know where to start as we begin prioritizing creation care. The voices of those well-versed in all things eco-friendly can be a little overwhelming; making it feel like the only option is rushing out to dig a compost toilet and buying, or better yet making your own family cloth. But to quote G.K. Chesterton, “If a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly.” Doing something is better than doing nothing.

If you’re new to the idea of creating less waste, being a thoughtful consumer, and caring for this beautiful planet that points us back to the Creator himself, here are a few easy first steps.

1. Start Recycling.

It’s that easy. It doesn’t matter if you do it perfectly, just start. Most cities have a recycling program you can opt in to, and some even require it. Look up what’s accepted and what they can’t recycle, and fill your bin! Challenge yourself to have more in your recycling receptacle than in your waste basket.

2. Work On Minimizing Waste Overall.

While recycling is an important tool in the environmental toolkit, it actually takes a lot of energy to run recycling plants. Minimizing what makes it there in the first place is important.

Disposable kitchen products are big time offenders in the world of unnecessary waste. Commit to eliminating disposable plates, napkins, cups and cutlery from your kitchen (even when you have large groups over often, like we do). Spend the money normally allocated for paper towels on a few more dishtowels instead, and be amazed at how easy (and budget-friendly!) it is to eliminate paper towels completely.

Buy a few sets of cloth napkins and use them every day, not just for special occasions. Buy food in bulk when you can, rather than purchasing food in prepackaged servings, which create significantly more waste just by requiring more packaging. Pack lunch in a Bento style box with compartments for different foods, which don’t require any of those little plastic sandwich bags.

3. Conserve Energy.

Do simple things like turning out lights when you don’t really need them, not letting the air conditioning or heat run with your windows open, and so on.

But don’t be afraid to go even further, like installing a digital thermostat with a programming option. Schedule your system to be used only when you’ll be home (have the heat come on around 4 p.m. if you get home from work around 5, so it’s ready and waiting). Think about energy-free solutions like leaving the temperature a degree cooler in winter, and investing in a great pair of socks. Yes, I’m serious. The great thing about conserving energy is no matter what route you take, you’re saving money too. It’s a total win-win.

4. Buy Smart.

If you’re preparing to purchase a home or car, look at the energy efficient options. While often they cost more up front, the savings come quickly after and it’s worth it. Some cities and states have tax breaks and rebates for purchasing energy efficient products, so be sure to check out what’s available in your area.

5. Buy Local.

Buying local products is a great way to support your community, but it’s almost always better for you, too. Small, local farms are often committed to raising animals and crops in the cleanest, most eco-friendly ways. This means cleaner food for you and cleaner land and water for the surrounding areas.

But there’s another side to this—buying local means you aren’t requiring cross-country transport for your food. The environmental impact of getting food from one place hundreds of miles from another is significant. So when you can, cut that out. Again, it’s a simple win-win.

I’m not an expert in creation care, but I’m trying to do the work of figuring out where I can help, instead of harm. I want to honor the Creator by caring for what He’s created. As Wendell Berry said, “The ecological teaching of the Bible is simply inescapable: God made the world because He wanted it made. He thinks the world is good, and He loves it. It is His world; He has never relinquished the title to it … If God loves the world, then how might any person of faith be excused for not loving it or justified in destroying it?”

What simple first steps have you taken to glorify your Creator by caring for creation?