BAMOS Sept 2017
29
First , as I just said , it ’ s partly about enjoyment . Christianity teaches us to enjoy life . I get excited by science , curious about the world around us , and the pursuit of knowledge about the natural world is part of my life ’ s journey . The Bible says that each of us have talents that we should develop and use , and we get joy out of this process . It gives me great satisfaction to use my talents in science to answer research questions .
In addition , the Bible says even more so that we should use our talents to help others . This provides more motivation . We all do our research not just to satisfy our curiosity , though that is a big part of it , but we also write papers , attend conferences , contribute to the body of knowledge to help make our world a better place for us and everyone else .
One of the big questions in climate science is about intergenerational equity . How do we ensure the world is fair and equitable for our current generation , but also future generations ? The Bible is deeply concerned with these questions , and says it is only right to pursue such goals . Jesus teaches us to help the poor , protect the vulnerable , look after the sick . Many of these are also reasons that we do research into climate change , which threatens humanity , particularly the poor , vulnerable and sick . So you see , the goals of climate scientists and Christians are actually the same .
Though the one that often gets me : love your enemies . Just remember , we even do what we do for the future benefit of climate change deniers ! They just don ’ t know it !
We know that we need to reduce our carbon footprint and reduce other forms of pollution into the atmosphere , land and ocean and other “ spheres ”. The Bible also speaks to this in being good stewards of the Earth . The Bible tells us we should look after the Earth and all that is in it . As climate scientists , this is essentially our day job : how to look after the Earth .
For a Christian , this contains extra importance . The Bible uses colorful language to describe how creation “ sings ” the glory of God . The way I often think of this is by admiring nature , taking in the beauty of nature , from sunrises and sunsets to the life-cycle of a thunderstorm , to the sound of waves crashing on a beach , to a raindrop falling on a tree leaf , or hearing the song of the magpie in the early morning , and remembering this beauty also reflects the beauty of God . It is true that someone who doesn ’ t believe in God sees this beauty as intrinsic of nature itself , which is good .
My point is that both a climate scientist and a Christian can see and appreciate the beauty of the world around us . While these motivations may be somewhat different , they are complementary as we are both trying to attain the same goal : protecting the beauty of the Earth and all that is in it not just for our own enjoyment but also for the enjoyment of those around us , and for the enjoyment of future generations .
Just to be clear , I am not saying that I would worship nature itself . I am saying , however , that as a Christian , the beauty of nature reflects the beauty of God .
Thus , while there may be existential debates on the differences between science and religion that I will leave to the philosophers , to me it is clear there are also a great many similarities in goals and motivations that are much more worthy to focus on . These shared goals of protecting and stewarding the Earth to maintain its beauty and function , of helping the poor and protecting the vulnerable , of ensuring inter and intra-generational equity are common to both climate science and Christianity . Therefore , I have no conflict between my belief in Christianity and my career as a climate scientist . They both complement and enhance each other for the common good . There is good reason for Christians to take climate science seriously and for climate scientists to recognize that the majority of Christians in fact share a common goal .
Regrettably , some Christians do not see how the values of climate science align with the values of Christianity , and instead see them as being counter to each other . This is an area that I have raised , and continue to raise , awareness in . I ’ m constantly asked about climate science by evangelical Christians . These questions are generally the typical questions : “ Is climate change really happening ?’”, “ Is there really that high a consensus ?”, as well as general weather and climate questions .
There is quite a mix of people who are willing to accept the science as well as those who remain skeptical , with the most common answer being “ It ’ s unscientific !” However , as climate scientist and evangelical Christian Dr Katherine Hayhoe from Texas Tech University is showing , much of this skepticism is more political , rather than religious .
So then , Christianity encourages me to use my skills to help others , defend the poor and vulnerable , and take care of the environment , and to take joy out of doing this , as I do it for God . As a beginning climate change scientist , I use my skills to help others , defend the poor and vulnerable , and take care of the environment . And I enjoy what I do . All very positive . Thus , they reinforce or feed back onto each other . Climate change and Christianity is a positive feedback loop .