There is a tug of war between two very powerful forces going on right now in our atmosphere. On the one hand, greenhouse gasses gases [Applies elsewhere in this document. -Ed.] are trapping the sun’s energy in our atmosphere, causing a gradual heating trend which could prove devastating to the planet. On the other hand, particle pollution, such as water vapors emitted from Nuclear power plants and exhaust fumes from jets, are increasing the atmosphere’s ability to shield us from the sun’s heat. Scientists have noticed a warming of the earth’s average temperatures for some decades. And we’ve known that it is partially due to the increased amount of greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere. However, what we’re seeing now is that it’s being thwarted by another very powerful force called Sun Dimming. The most significant find? Greenhouse gasses are much more powerful than we first anticipated.
- Sun Dimming
- The effect particle pollution has on Earth’s atmosphere, such that the net amount of sunlight reaching the surface is decreasing, thereby lowering mean ambient temperatures worldwide.
- Global Warming
- The gradual and continuous warming trend resulting from the release of greenhouse gasses such as Water vapor, Carbon dioxide, and Methane into the atmosphere.
I’ve just finished watching a program on PBS about the direction our planet is taking. It was NOVA’s “Dimming the Sun”. The show posed the possibility that most scientists have undervalued the sheer power greenhouse gasses have on our atmosphere, and that they have ignored the effect of man-made clouds on our atmosphere. They pointed out a definite warming trend tied to the release of greenhouse gasses, but they also showed a definite cooling trend as a result of particle emissions. The problem, however, is that North America and Europe have dedicated to lowering particle emissions, but greenhouse gas emissions have not lowered significantly. So the cooling factor that slowed the greenhouse effect’s ability to warm the planet is decreasing. The greenhouse effect is actually very important to the survival of our planet, but it is a very delicate balance of gas quantities in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane absorb long-wave radiation reflected from the earth’s crust, preventing it from escaping to space. Without these gasses in our atmosphere, the earth’s average worldwide temperature would be below 0° Fahrenheit. Greenhouse gasses are vital.
However, what we are noticing is an increase in the amount of these gasses in the atmosphere, which is keeping more long-wave radiation from escaping. This creates a warming trend. When the worldwide mean ambient temperature warms, more water is vaporizing from the oceans than was with the lower temperatures, and this surplus of water vapor in the atmosphere simply speeds up the process. This allows frozen methane that is locked beneath the ocean floor to escape as a gas and bubble its way to the surface, sometimes in a violent, fiery display. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is about eight times more effective than carbon dioxide at absorbing long-wave radiation. If the earth’s total supply of methane is released into the atmosphere, we will see temperatures that haven’t been reached in 55 million years. A global mean temperature rise of 35° Fahrenheit would mean most of the flora would die off. The tropics would experience drought and be subject to forest fires, which would release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Life on earth would all but disappear.
My writing this probably throws most of you off. After all, I’m a conservative Christian who places a high value on traditional morals. Why is it, then, that I would write an article about Global Warming? I feel very blessed to have been born in America, and to have been given the opportunity to do anything I want to do with my life, simply because of where I’m from. However, the Bible tells us to be good stewards of God’s blessing. For instance, we wouldn’t go around saying, “I can eat anything I want to eat and skip working out and not worry about a thing, because I’m a Christian; I’ve got faith in God’s ability to heal me.” Well, yeah, God has the ability to heal, but you’ve brought your sickness on yourself. Likewise, you wouldn’t throw your money away, buying everything your eye sees, and say to yourself, “I don’t have anything to worry about; my bills will get paid, because God supplies all my need.” Certainly, God wants to bless you, but you have a part to play, too.
We would all agree on these things, but when it comes to saving our planet most Christians balk at the idea. Haven’t we been blessed with a beautiful planet? Hasn’t God been good to see fit that we have places like Maui and Rio de Janeiro here? How good a steward should we be of this blessing? I was talking with a friend tonight who sees eye-to-eye with me on this point. She mentioned the scripture that says we are to leave an inheritance to our children’s children. Certainly this is talking about money, but it applies to everything else, too. What if Jesus doesn’t come back next year? What if Christ’s return is much further off than we imagined? What inheritance are we leaving for our grandchildren? Guest ecologists on “Dimming the Sun” mentioned the doomsday example above could happen within the decade. And once the warming engine starts, there will be nothing we can do to stop it; like dominoes, each successive change creates another chain reaction.
I write this today because I want you to prayerfully consider your impact on the globe. What are you doing for your children? What gifts will you leave them? Which would make them happier: your going out and making a million dollars to give them, or your going out and saving the planet for them? It only takes one to make a difference. Today you can do something to impact our globe. Drive slower, take public transit, eat organic foods, or even plant a tree. Find out what impact you’re currently having by taking the Footprint Quiz, and discover what things you can do to make things better. Remember, if we all change a little, the planet can change a lot.
Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
~Jonathan
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