One does not have to go back very far to recall George W. Bush, Bob Dole and John McCain joining with Al Gore, Bill Clinton and John Kerry to acknowledge the very real dangers of climate change. Together, members of both major political parties called for a re-evaluation of the way American businesses and manufacturers were operating in order to reduce pollution and to produce a safer, healthier environment. While no consensus emerged on an environmental agenda, there was, at least, a common ground: we must do something before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n
I\u00a0watched with awe earlier this month as Hurricane Irma swallowed whole islands and the entirety of the Florida\u00a0peninsula\u00a0in its terrifying maws of wind and rain; I watched with deep concern for family members living in South Carolina as they prepared for the worst. Irma\u00a0was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, nearing an incredible 36 hours with 185 mph sustained winds.<\/p>\n
Today, we see the effects of warming temperatures across the globe. Since 1901, the average global temperature has increased .15\u00a0degrees\u00a0Fahrenheit\u00a0every\u00a0decade, according\u00a0to the EPA\u2019s \u201cClimate Change Indicators,\u201d\u00a0with\u00a0the U.S. experiencing the highest rates of warming. The same data show that since\u00a01998, the U.S. has seen eight out of the 10 warmest years on record. With the increase in energy that comes from heated bodies of water in and around the U.S., storms can grow to astonishing sizes, as evinced in Katrina (2005), Dean (2007) and Irma (2017).\u00a0Even though statistics\u00a0cannot provide absolute proof of permanent climate change, they give us an indication of what is happening on Earth as a result of warming temperatures.<\/p>\n
The terms \u201ccatastrophic\u201d and \u201cunprecedented\u201d are becoming all-too-common appellations, albeit warranted, for\u00a0meteorologists.\u00a0Indeed, the size, intensity and frequency of tornadoes and hurricanes, fires and floods are increasing at alarming rates. These are nature\u2019s klaxons sounding.<\/p>\n
While some might be resistant to accepting humans\u2019 role in climate change, it is getting harder and harder to ignore its effects. Once-in-a-lifetime storms now occur once every few years. Floods that use to occur 1-in-500 years are now happening every few decades. (Houston has experienced three such floods in as many years.) The effects of climate change are now perceptible beyond mere rises in temperature and sea levels. When the time for disaster relief and recovery passes, our nation must engage in a productive dialogue about the realities of climate change and the realistic means by which we can curb its effects.\u00a0Based upon the limited information available, we \u2014 collectively and individually \u2014 can take reasonable precautions.<\/p>\n
We trust and seek shelter when\u00a0meteorologists and scientists use predictive models to warn us about approaching storm systems. Should we not, by extension, trust and seek environmentally-friendly methods of living when those same meteorologists and scientists\u00a0forecast the dire effects of climate change?<\/p>\n
Such action is not simply good for the Earth, but it is also in obedience to God\u2019s call to be stewards of creation. Each of us has our own admiration for the sublime beauty of creation, whether\u00a0quiet woods, snowy mountains, sandy beaches or murmuring streams. We who come from and return to the dust of the Earth share in its life. This is by design. The creator deemed his work \u2014 the universe, the Earth and the inhabitants of these mortal coils \u2014 good. If indeed we believe this divine evaluation, should we not endeavor to preserve that which God called good?<\/p>\n
Being a good steward is not convenient. It never has been. Goodness, righteousness, mercy and the other aspects of stewardship that apply to people are themselves acts of inconvenience.<\/p>\n
On this campus, I witness stewardship toward others every day. We can extend that same\u00a0care to the environment. Responsible stewardship of the environment will enable future generations to thrive rather than suffer. We can take up this God-given responsibility in the little things: recycling, which our university freely offers all over campus; going without meat for one day or even one meal (using the\u00a0dining hall\u2019s vegan line); walking (not driving)\u00a0to Slader\u2019s, Burrito Day or your favorite lunch spot near campus; conserving lights and water; supporting the local farmer\u2019s market on Saturdays. These are just a few ways we can be better stewards. The cumulative effect of such\u00a0stewardship will add to state and federal efforts to protect the environment.<\/p>\n
We are called to take up the divine\u00a0mantle\u00a0of\u00a0inconvenience in service to others. The ideals by which humankind lived in paradise must serve as guiding principles for us today.\u00a0It is incumbent upon us to fulfill that first purpose which God gave to humankind in Eden: to tend our gardens and be faithful caretakers of God\u2019s creation. We are good stewards of people; we must now be good stewards of our environment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Written by Russel Keck<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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