Source: BBC Radio 4: Sunday Worship
URL: N/A
Date: 11/02/2007
Event: Sunday Worship - Sir John Houghton on climate change and religion
People:
Sir John Houghton: It is commonly believed that science and religion are opposed to each other. But that is quite wrong. Since God is the creator, science is the way we find out how God’s Creation works. It is in fact God’s science. Science can help in our worship of God for his great creation. Early on in the Bible we’re told to take care of God’s creation. We’re also told that humans are made in the image of God. That means we can be creative too. Science and technology, as for instance as in the report of the United Nations Climate Change panel, are vital to the exercise of our stewardship of the earth.
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Isaiah: chap 24:4 "The earth dries up and withers.... all the merrymakers groan".
Sir John Houghton: Isaiah presents a story of environmental destruction. In our time, climate change is beginning to provide similar bad news. In the summer of 2003, a completely unprecedented heatwave in central Europe killed at least 20,000 people. It’s that sort of event that backs up the statement that climate change is a weapon of mass destruction. As the world warms, by 2050, it is expected that that will be a normal summer in Europe.
Each year, 25 thousand million tons of carbon dioxide are emitted into the atmosphere by the burning of coal, oil and gas. This acts like a blanket over the earth’s surface, leading to the global warming and climate change we’re all talking about. Pumping more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere means that this century the climate on average will change faster than for at least 10,000 years. It will be impossible for many ecosystems and humans to adapt to such rapid change. We all know about the threat to polar bears. But millions of the world’s smaller species are also at risk of extinction because of climate change.
As the world warms, the hydrological cycle will increase in intensity. That means more floods and more droughts. They are the worst disasters the world knows, causing more deaths and misery and economic loss than any other disasters. Recent years have seen very damaging ones in Africa, Asia, Australia and America, and even in Europe and the UK. Careful scientific projections indicate the risk of such events will increase by a factor of five or even more by the year 2050. Extreme droughts that now last for months will tend to last for years - all extremely bad news for many in the world’s poorer countries. Hundreds of millions of environmental refugees will be looking for new homes. But where? Big impacts on people will also come from sea level rise. Coping with half a metre or more of sea level rise will be a big and expensive problem for many in the Fens of East Anglia. But in Bangla Desh, ten million people who live and farm below the one metre contour will be displaced. So will many more millions in other river deltas, in low lying islands in the world’s oceans, and in many other places. In our increasingly crowded world, where do these people go? The reality of these likely impacts brings a stark moral imperative. Over the last century or more, much of our wealth in the rich world has come through cheap energy from coal, oil and gas, without our realising the damage to the climate that’s only now beginning to show up. It’s those in the poorer parts of the world who will suffer a disproportionate share of this damage. It’s they also that are now looking for their share of cheap energy for their development. Care for the poor is a large and recurring theme in the Bible. In both Old and New testaments, the moral imperative for us to act is inescapable.
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Luke 12: Parable of the rich man and his barn
Sir John Houghton: Given the imperative to act, what action can we take? There are lots of things that we can and must do. But what we really must learn is to share with the poorer parts of the world more of our wealth, resources, and skills. If we don’t, we’ll be rich fools. His land produced far more crops than he needed, so he built bigger barns to store his grain and his goods, and looked forward to a life of ease and luxury. But his life was cut short, and he could not take his goods with him. We are like the rich fool. Greed is dominant in our wealthy Western world. Economic growth is top of the political agenda. Our use of resources is unsustainable. We are becoming increasingly aware of the real threat of climate change, but are in no hurry to do what is necessary to halt it. In the next section of Luke 12, Jesus instructed his disciples not to worry so much about material goods, but to sell their possessions and give to the poor. That way brings treasure in heaven that does not get exhausted.
Sharing is something that we all do. We share within our families, we share in our local communities, and through our social programmes we share on a national scale. But internationally, we are very bad at sharing. Yes, we give aid to poor countries, but if we take account of the benefits to ours from trade with poorer countries, adding aid and trade together tips the scales overwhelmingly in our favour. The net flow of money is from the poor to the rich. Loving our neighbour, as well as loving God, demands a lot more sharing.
So how do we share regarding climate change? In the developed world, our emissions of carbon dioxide are on average about five times larger per person than in the developing world - a most unequal situation. First, we must work harder and more urgently to reduce our emissions. We must also assist developing countries as they work to provide carbon-free energy. Money, technology, and skills that we could provide can help to make this happen. Will it cost a great deal for us to do this? Sir Nicholas Stern’s recent review demonstrates a cost to the nation that is small - less than 1% of GDP on average. What is most important is that our attitudes and priorities change - less on material goods and gain, much more on caring for the earth and the poor. As Jesus constantly emphasised, that in any case is the way to a more fulfilled life. We need to take heed of Jesus’s words in Luke chapter 12 verse 28 "from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded".
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Sir John Houghton: I am often asked if I am optimistic for the future. I reply: "Yes", for three reasons: First, as I chaired the UN’s scientific panel, from 1998 to 2002, I experienced the commitment of the world’s scientists from a wide range of backgrounds to understanding climate change and tackling it responsibly. Secondly, I know the necessary technology is available. And thirdly, I believe God is committed to his creation. The passage from Colossians that we have just heard tells us that in Jesus all things hold together. This commitment by God means that we don’t have to work on our own. God is there to help us with it. In the Genesis creation story, God walked with Adam in the garden in the late afternoon. I imagine they talked about the garden, and how well Adam was getting on with it. Jesus also talked to His disciples about the partnership that comes through his continued presence with us. I can personally pay tribute to the strength that God provides as people pray. There’s a tremendous challenge to the churches and to the Christian community to provide the leadership for which the world is waiting, as we’ve just heard that some are doing in the United States - leadership in service, in sharing, and in caring for the whole of his world.