Climate Change And Faith, Is It Really A Conflict? My Perspective.

There are people who think faith and science are at odds when it comes to climate change, something i personally disagree with. I also think that this is more to do with culture and economic reasons rather than faith based reasons. Climate change is one of these things that faces a perceived credibility problem among a section of the world’s population, albeit wrongfully. This is something I find odd because in my opinion there’s a place for each, science and faith.

In fact I find that each is important in this life. But I will speak for myself, as a person of faith and a Christian believer who is also a climate change practitioner. I believe in God, undoubtedly. I was raised Christian from birth and eventually of my own free will became a believer in Jesus Christ, on whom the entire Christian faith is based.

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I also have had an affinity for the natural world, which I find beautiful. Perhaps it is also my strength because subjects such as biology and geography were among my best performing subjects in high school, which also formed the core of the cluster subjects I would need in order to be accepted to an Environmental Science program in University.

I remember when I decided to choose the course as the first of my four choices for university placement. I didn’t have second thoughts about it, it was not an afterthought, it was what I wanted to do with my life. So I embraced it with my heart and mind and embarked on pursuing it, several years ago.

I did quite well in school, and enjoyed discovering the natural world, the different diverse units that made up the course. When joining university, what I had was the will, desire and curiosity about environmental science; but the flesh to fill out the bones and the building to complete the framework was done in those four years, by our dedicated lecturers at Maseno University, my alma mater.

On graduating five years ago, I was ready to face the world, full of optimism and joy but I was also unsure of the particular direction I would take professionally, because environmental science is quite a wide sector. I would have to specialize in a field. That is when I found myself in climate change, a field that we’d been taught as a unit in school though not as comprehensively.

The thing I remember about that process was how it fit perfectly, as a glove fits a hand. How? Growing up, I noticed how the seasons had changed and were off course; sometimes raining too little or too much or coming at the wrong time, and the terrible effect this had on our primarily agricultural communities, who depended on their farms in order to earn a livelihood. It was devastating.

So what was causing it? What had affected the once predictable and sure weather patterns? Climate change it was called. Piqued, I decided to do all I could to understand the phenomenon, eventually becoming a climate change writer. This blog was birthed in an effort to educate fellow youth about climate change and how it was their business.

Along my writing journey, I’ve noticed that not as many African people knew what climate change is or how it affects them which is of grave concern given that Africa is one of the most affected continents. This is ignorance which is because people do not sufficiently know what is happening or what they should do about it. And it is costly.

Another thing I noticed that is radically polar opposite of ignorance is the refusal to acknowledge climate change, also known as climate change denial. I found it weird, that someone who knew something to be a fact would deny it for whatever reason. It was like burying your head in the sand and pretending all is okay.

Another confounding thing I noted was that there was a section of people, identifying as Christians who out rightly refuse to believe climate change is real. They also say the science is wrong. ‘I’m sorry, what!?’ I mean I am very much a Christian and I KNOW climate change is real. In fact I believe God led me to this very profession for a reason. My natural gifts and desire lie in this area, and this cannot be by accident.

Some people believe climate change is at odds with their Christian faith. I think not. Do we discard the science behind medicine when someone, a Christian, falls sick? Do we say the illness is not real and refuse treatment? No. It beggars belief that we would fall sick, ask for healing from God but refuse to go to hospital. In fact the scenario I just described amounts to a sort of denial of faith. How can you ask for a solution and when it is presented to you, you do not accept? Indeed, how can you be helped if you are lost, do not know you are lost yet still refuse direction?

It is also quite perplexing for me that Christians would believe and accept engineering as a profession, medicine, aviation all as different professions reliant on science but deny climate change which is also based on science. Double standards those, even in faith.

According to the Bible, in Genesis, God created the world and gave human beings dominion over his creation, putting them as the head. In this capacity they are to rule over and take care of the Earth as a steward not the owner. In this role, is it not then unfair to cause harm and damage to the natural world which we are supposed to protect, then pretend ignorance or cry to God for help? Is it not even in fact, going against the commandment?

Shall not a man reap what he sows? That is in fact what the Good Book says, that what a man sows that he shall reap. Therefore, if we burn fossil fuels and release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, will there not be repercussions? There will be! There is no action without reaction.

Again the Good Book says that we should love God, as the first greatest commandment and love your neighbor as the second greatest. It then goes on to say, how can you claim to love God, who you have not seen when you do not love your fellow man who you see daily? Is man not made in the image of God?

Therefore, if emissions anywhere affects life everywhere, nations and communities largely innocent of causing climate change and who are relatively small emitters suffer the most from the effects of the said.

These communities are mostly underprivileged, communities of color, communities dependent on natural resources, people who witness their farms flooded or barren, who face the worst ravages of extreme climate related weather. Island nations face the threat of extinction because of the rising sea levels. Floods and droughts, failed harvests and destroyed livelihoods, mudslides and lives lost, property destroyed, homes threatened and economies affected, is this just? Is this loving your neighbor? Can you claim to love God?

Perhaps you do not believe in climate change because you are safe in your house, it does not happen in your life. But this is rapidly changing. The effects of climate change will continue to be severe and extend into the future affecting the whole world, no matter where one is. For those of us who see the effects of climate change on a daily basis, we do not have the luxury of debating or choosing stubbornness. These are our lives on the line, our families’ wellbeing, our children’s education. We cannot sit down and pretend all is well nor can we cry out to God and when he shows us the way out, we pout, stomp our feet and say no, then bury our heads in the sand. It is untenable.

We have to get up and act, use our God given skills and intelligence and save this planet, which has been our habitation from the beginning and will continue being so in the future.

Surely one is not given a gift and not expected to work it. Even in the parable of the talents, every single person had to account for their talents and what they did with it. We as human beings are intelligent life, given dominion over the Earth, what then have we done to protect the planet from climate change?

Does not a wise person take care of his future as well? Shall we then labor for the present and leave none for the future? All for today and none for a rainy day? What sort of planet will our children inhabit? Will they be proud of their (grand) parents or ashamed? We have this opportunity to do the right thing as is our responsibility and required by God, who we say we worship.

Climate change is not at odds with our belief in God.

In fact, God🕂 is real and so is climate change.💚🌍