Is climate change a problem? Ought we to be doing something about it?. Until recently I thought that there were just two reactions to these questions: "It's natural; do nothing" and "It's anthropogenic; we must do something". However, my attention has been drawn to a third, "It's natural but God is looking after us".
Let me explain....

 

It's natural; do nothing

Clearly Ian Plimer has a point. The Earth's climate has always changed. There have been times when the Earth has been hotter than today and times when the Earth has been colder. Every Geologist knows this. Meteorologists know the difference between weather and climate. They are naturally reluctant to regard perturbations in the weather as being due to climate change.
Do nothing, humans are adaptable and will learn to cope with changes.

 

It's anthropogenic;we must do something

Vulcanologist Ray Cas presents this case by considering the factors that might be responsible for the observed global warming. A pdf copy of his presentation is here:

Assessing the factors that cause climate change

Alternatively you might prefer to watch a video of Cas's presentation to the Royal Society of Victoria

Understanding Climate Change: All the natural and human causes

Essentaiily Cas's arqument is, yes, changes like those we are experiencing have happened before but never at such a speed. After considering, one by one, all the possible causes we are forced to conclude that we are in a period of anthropogenic global warming.

 

It's natural but God is looking after us

This, the Creationist argument, is presented in a paper,

A Biblical View of the 'Climate Emergency'

by Colin R Reeves a retired Professor of Mathematics from the University of Coventry.

Reeves argues, in the first half of his paper, that concerns relating to "climate change" are based upon rather rubbery mathematical models and any observed changes are almost certainly due to natural causes rather than human activity.

In the second half of his paper, Reeves assures us that we need not worry because God made a covenant with Noah in which he promised, "I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done. While all the days of the earth remain, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease,". Reeves then explains: The import of this covenant and its promise is that no Christian should fear that the means whereby the Son of God providentially sustains and "holds together" the world (Col.1:17) will fail.

Reeves then explains that God has given the rainbow as a visual reminder of his promise and two negative feedback mechanisms to maintain a benign temperature: photosynthesis to remove Carbon Dioxide, and clouds; the number of which which increase when the temperature rises and thereby cause more sunlight to be reflected.

In view of the above and quoting from James Clark Maxwell, we are free to "subdue the Earth to our use" and "have dominium over Thy creatures".

 

This web page has been written by Tony Heyes
of Perceptual Alternatives

 

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