About two weeks ago, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would be leaving the Paris Climate Accord, an agreement established by nearly every country in the world to reduce carbon emissions. The Paris agreement was created in an effort to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius. And since the U.S. contributes to nearly one-third of the world’s carbon emissions, the entire global effort is therefore weakened.
As someone who cares deeply about sustainability, the news obviously disappointed me. It affected me even on a spiritual level because I believe that the Bible gives great reason for Christians to be environmental activists. But only 28 percent of white evangelicals believe that manmade climate change is a real thing.* Although NC State has more than 50 Christian organizations, I do not hear the Christian community talking about this.
Even though I’ve grown up in church my entire life, I have never heard a single talk about caring for the environment. Not one.
Even at State, I’ve been to many talks on sustainability, many on the Bible, but never on both. It’s only been this year where I’ve met a few friends in the Christian community who care about this issue too. We don’t think that caring about the environment is separate from our faith, but it is an expression of our faith.
Interestingly enough, according to the Pew Research Center, 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Trump.* I’m not saying that if you voted for Trump, you don’t care for the environment. But we can’t pretend like climate change is a Chinese hoax. It is incredibly urgent.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, says that climate change could cause more destruction and displacement than all of the wars in history combined. Ocean acidification is destroying miles of coral reefs, and rising sea levels will cause millions of people to be displaced. Increased temperatures cause more powerful storms, and longer droughts will drive food insecurity. And this can be directly linked to unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
But I strongly believe that Christians have great reason to be environmentally active. In a commentary on Psalm 65, well-known pastor Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City says “God’s people should be at the forefront of those who care for creation.”
I think the first verse in the Bible is enough to inspire Christians everywhere to care for the environment: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Out of His infinite joy and love, God created the stars, the skies and everything in them as an expression of His goodness.
Psalm 19 actually says that the whole earth is shouting how awesome God is. So because of that, Christians care for the environment like a curator cares for rare pieces of art.
Even if you deny the existence of climate change, there is still good reason in the Bible to be environmentally active. Jesus says in John 13 that the primary mark of a Christian is love. Shouldn’t that translate into fighting to keep our streets clean? One in 10 people doesn’t have access to clean water, so maybe reducing pollution and providing filtration systems could be the most Christian thing we do.
Since we’ve been given this beautiful planet, we should make environmentally conscious decisions each and every day. Earlier in the spring, I started doing something called Meatless Monday, where you dedicate a day every week to not eating meat.
Meat production consumes significantly more resources than growing vegetables does, so just this simple decision to change what you eat for one day can make a big difference! I love it so much that I eat vegetarian a lot throughout the week, and I feel much better because of it. Just make sure you get the salads at Case and not Fountain.
There are a lot of ways to get involved with fighting climate change on campus too. I really respect what Climate Reality Project is doing in hosting events and raising awareness about the urgency of climate change. I also plan on getting involved with Engineers Without Borders, who has projects to provide clean water and renewable energy around the world.
My hope is that the Christian community at State would come together and begin discussing all the ways our faith informs the way we care for the environment.
I want to dedicate my life’s work to fighting climate change. I’m also not afraid to say that Jesus is the most important person in the world to me. These don’t have to be mutually exclusive things.
*Pew Research Center only recorded numbers for white evangelicals, not all evangelicals.
