Global Warming and Religion - Essay Example

?Global Warming and Religion Global warming has been one of the most debated topics in the past few decades. The term ‘global warming’ is used for the gradual increase in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere. Increase in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere has been observed since in the late 19th century and the marginal increase has been rising in the recent past. Two thirds of the overall increase in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere since the 19th century has occurred since 1980. The environmental experts are certain of the fact that the increase in global warming is due to the rising concentrations of the greenhouse gases that are produced as a result of different human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The increasing debates regarding global warming have raised a question whether the action to reduce global warming is a theological and moral imperative or a matter of human and environmental expediency. The following paper would analyse the situation from both perspectives and it would be inferred whether the action to reduce global warming is linked with religion. ACTIONS TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING AND THE ROLE OF RELIGION AND MORALITY There are a number of factors that have led the people to consider the religious and moral aspects of the actions to reduce global warming. A number of people hold the perspective that had everyone followed the religion properly the situation of global warming would not have arisen. The religion provides comprehensive details regarding the right way of life but these teachings have been ignored by the people and the global warming is one of the consequences of such ignorance. It is the responsibility of the man to take care of the natural resources and it may be considered immoral by some to exploit the natural resources that are there for a bigger purpose. The acts like extraction of fossil fuels and destruction of forests in order to encourage industrialization are not in conformity with the teachings of the religion and the morality of human beings. Following are the religious and moral aspects that may be important to be considered in order to infer whether action to reduce global warming is theological and moral: Simplicity The religion has always preached simplicity in life. It is one of the attributes held by the people who are inclined towards the religion. However people who do not follow the teachings of the religion properly moved towards luxury and in order to have an easier life, and they started to consume the natural resources in order to have luxuries. The scientists and environmental experts are certain that the main reason behind global warming is the consumption of fossil fuels and deforestation. In order to have luxurious ways of life, people got involved in the consumption of such rare resources and the situation has gotten worse ever since. Therefore, people who are inclined towards religion exercise simplicity which in itself is an action to reduce global warming (Stafford 1998). Stewardship of God’s Creation It is a common belief that stewardship of God’s creation is a biblical principle therefore man is responsible to take care of everything that has been bestowed upon him by God. The Earth and its many resources can be regarded as God’s creation therefore man should ensure that all these resources are taken care of. However, the very cause of the global warming has been disclosed as the exploitation of natural resources. Each creation by God holds some purpose on Earth and moving it from its place may hold certain consequences, and this is being observed today in the form of rising global warming. Thus, the stewardship of God’s creation is one biblical principle that shows that the action to reduce global warming has a strong theological perspective (Nolen 2004). Rights of Non-Human Creatures The religion teaches that the rights of the inanimate planet and its non-human creatures are considered to be highly important. The humans have tried to claim their ownership on each and every part of the planet and this exploitation of the planet has led towards circumstances responsible for global warming. The religion requires the people to respect the rights of the non-human creatures and the one thing that should be done to ensure the rights of the non-human creatures is to stop the destruction of forests. Forests are natural habitat for non-human creatures and by the destruction of forests, humans are not only depriving non-human creatures of their natural habitat but they are damaging the overall atmosphere. Forests play an important role in keeping the Earth atmosphere clean but the continuous reduction of forests has resulted in increased production of greenhouse gases which are the main cause for global warming (Blunt 2007). ACTIONS TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPEDIENCY The fact cannot be denied that there is a religious and moral aspect to the action to reduce global warming but another significant driving force towards the action to reduce global warming is the concern for human and environmental expediency. A large number of people are willing to contribute their actions to bring some change for the betterment of the world and most of these people are not inclined towards religion. The motive behind their actions is merely a matter of human and environmental expediency which is not exclusive to the religion only. There are so many other concerns that are attributed with global warming and these concerns threaten the very survival of the human beings on the planet. Therefore, whether or not people follow the teachings of the religion, they are inclined towards acting in order to reduce the global warming. Following are some of the factors that show that action to reduce global warming is not driven by merely religious and moral teachings but by the instincts of humans to save their habitat too: Climate Change Climate change is the term used for changing atmospheric conditions all around the world. Due to the increase in global warming, significant changes in the Earth’s atmosphere have been observed. The rising temperatures are said to be the main cause behind the increasing incidents of hurricanes, famine and outbreaks of disease all around the world. Developing countries take the worst hit by these incidents because they are not equipped with the necessary resources that may help them face these disasters. Global warming is also said to have triggered extreme weather events all around the globe such as heat waves and floods. Thus, the changing weather conditions all around the world have led people to actively take part in reducing global warming. Therefore, it can be said that this is one of the factors that shows that religion is not the only driving force towards action against global warming (Strong 1976). Rise in Sea Level Global warming has been declared as one of the causes behind the significant rise in sea level in the recent past. There are two main reasons causes behind the rise in sea level; first is expansion due to thermal change i.e. the temperature of ocean water and the other is the contribution to the ocean due to melting of land based ice from glaciers and ice sheets. Both these factors can be linked to global warming as it causes both the thermal expansion and the melting of land based ice. Rise in ocean temperature is also considered to be a standalone issue related to global warming. According to experts, the rise in sea level will continue in the future and the impacts of this rise may include; coastal inundation, changes in groundwater characteristics, increased coastal erosion, increased risk of flood, and loss of life and property. All these projected impacts of rise in sea level and therefore global warming have caused the people to actively take part in measures against global warming (Future Ocean). CONCLUSION From the analysis of some of the factors that play an important role as driving forces for action to reduce global warming it can be concluded that the action against global warming is not free from religious and moral influence. There are a number of religious teachings that conform to the idea of protecting the environment and the planet. On the other hand, people who are not inclined towards religion are surely inclined towards the idea of contributing for the betterment of the world. Therefore, it can be said that the action to reduce global warming is both theological and moral imperative and a matter of human and environmental expediency. REFERENCES Blunt, S. H. (2007) Climate Change is here to Stay. [Internet]. Available from http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/marchweb-only/113-52.0.html [7 April 2012] Future Ocean. (2012) Sea Level Rise and Coasts at Risk: Facts. [Internet]. Available from http://www.futureocean.org/english/research-areas/marine-resources-and-risks/sea-level-rise-and-coasts-at-risk/facts/ [6 April 2012] Nolen, R. S. (2004) Climate Change Briefing Brings Together Christian Aid Groups. [Internet]. Available from http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/octoberweb-only/10-18-23.0.html [7 April 2012] Stafford, D. (1998) God’s Green Acres. [Internet]. Available from http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/1998/june15/8t7032.html [7 April 2012] Strong, D. H. (1976) “Ethics or Expediency: An Environmental Question”. Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, Volume 5, Issue 2, Article 4. Read More