[MENTION=4167]Stripe[/MENTION], [MENTION=92]The Barbarian[/MENTION], [MENTION=14707]gcthomas[/MENTION], [MENTION=2801]way 2 go[/MENTION], [MENTION=14462]THall[/MENTION], @Lon. [MENTION=17235]Interplanner[/MENTION], [MENTION=3698]Tambora[/MENTION].
Since this thread is supposed to be about what Christians should do about climate change
assuming it is a fact, The debate about whether it is a fact or not is not really on topic, as interesting as it might be to some of us (including me), except as it helps us decide what things are appropriate to do about it.
So what should we do about about it?
Here's what
one website says. I think it is a decent summary of some of the posts we've seen here, so I'd like to see what everybody thinks.
| Most of us realise that if we are to avoid catastrophic events in the future – or indeed survive as a species on this planet – we must, at the very least, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. What has to be done? It’s simple. Reduce and eventually stop burning fossil fuels, the major source of greenhouse gasses, and do so as rapidly as possible. We recognize the need to plant trees to replace those cut down and to modify our diet by replacing meat with other similar tasting nutritious products enabling reduction of animal herds and their emissions. Yet action taken globally is just the opposite of these measures. |
- First of all, for Christians, is there anything wrong or immoral about doing any of the above? Does God's word tell us not to do any of these things? Biblical references would be much appreciated.
- Second, does God's word tell us to do any of these things? (Again, references appreciated)
- Third, do these sections of God's word apply to us today? Why or why not?
Let's take the fossil fuel reduction as a starter. The website I referenced stated that a carbon tax is one way to reduce the use of fossil fuels. This would work in two ways, supposedly: 1. Make it cheaper to emit less carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases, and 2. Provide funds for someone to use to find other ways to curb emissions.
For my #1 above, is there anything immoral about levying a tax such as this? It would supposedly tax the larger emitters more, if applied equally (these things aren't always equally applied). If large emitters are the poorer nations, and it causes their standard of living to fall more than richer nations, including dropping more of their citizens into poverty, to where some of their people begin to starve, I'd say it's a problem. I'd also be concerned with the taxing authority--who gets the benefit and how is that decided? How do we prevent corruption in a government entity that is of a higher authority than our own.
Taxing is always a matter of a higher power taking from someone under its power. Thus, agreeing to such a commitment is a way of subjugating our nation to another authority. I don't necessarily have an issue with a nation that decides to do that, except that it doesn't usually turn out that good. Israel often paid money to other nations to keep from being invaded, or after being invaded by taxes levied on them. Is this any different? In the former case (to keep from being invaded), it was wrong when Israel turned to other nations for protection instead of relying on God.
In our case, though, we would give up a democratic-republic form of government, enshrined in our constitution, for...something else. What that something else actually is remains to be seen.
That doesn't mean we as a nation can't take some of the principles and use them, including implementing a US-only carbon tax. Some of the same issues will remain, but not the giving up of our sovereignty.
