Climate change! That's all we hear about these days. And like everyone else, I have my own observations about our changing climate.
OBSERVATION #1 -- The climate of planet Earth has been changing ever since day one. For countless ages, the Earth underwent a warming stage. Then, in the next span of years the Earth experienced a cooling trend. During this time, the upper half of all North America was under several thick glaciers -- this included most of Missouri. Now, we're in another warming stage. Evidently, this is how God designed His world; day gives way to night; spring gives way to summer; summer leads us into fall and winter; we have times when we get too much rain and times when we don't have enough rain. Our climate is always in flux, and it has nothing to do with us!
OBSERVATION #2 -- Will human pollution affect the climate? If so, very little! This world belongs to God. And when God designed this world, He made it extremely adaptable. The all-knowing God knew that mankind would probably be tempted to sin -- and in the process would corrupt His creation and pollute His world. So, He made the universe adaptable to all forms of pollution. Pollution has been going on long before there were factories or cars. Earthquakes and volcanoes were releasing toxic gases even at the time of pre-historic man. They were sending more toxic fumes into the atmosphere in one month than our modern U.S.A. releases in one year. How adaptable is our atmosphere? All the toxic pollution we release goes up into the higher layers of the atmosphere and is either absorbed or is converted into a non-toxic material. We do need to limit the pollution in our air -- for health reasons -- not because it will have much effect on the climate.
OBSERVATION #3 -- "Because of air pollution, we are in the beginning of a mass extinction..." Translation: "If we don't curb pollution, the world will end!" So said 16-year-old Greta Thunberg as she stood before the United Nations. Not so, kid! This is God's world. He gave this earth its beginning, and He alone will, in His own good time, bring this world to its ending. There is nothing at all that we human beings can do to alter that fact. We didn't bring this world into being; and we will not bring about the ending of this world. People of all ages have, for thousands of years, been predicting the "end of the world." They have all been wrong!
OBSERVATION # 4 -- The climate was changing centuries before we were born, and will continue to change -- in spite of what we do or do not do. Plus, the world will not end -- no matter what we do or do not do.
If we were wise, we would adjust our lives to fit the climate instead of trying in vain to adjust the climate to suit our whims. And, if you believe in God, you have nothing to worry about. If you do not believe in God, you have everything to worry about. That's my take on climate change.
Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist minister who lives in Jackson. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 10/17/2019