May 30~June 5, 2011
Editorial
Editorial: God’s faithful steward cares for the environment
Translated by Lydia Ma
A flood followed by a landslide took the lives of 35 people in Thailand this March and washed away farmlands. On the other side of the globe in southern United States, 362 tornado strikes – the highest in US recorded history for a 3-day period – were sighted between April 25-28, 2011, which led to 520 casualties.
We’ve been informed recently of severe drought and water shortages in Chinese provinces downstream of the Yangtze River, which has affected more than 4.2 million people who are now without potable water. We’ve also heard that environmentalists in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia are alarmed that the water level of the Mekong River is at its lowest in 50 years, most likely because of 11 dams built by China in the river’s upstream to generate electricity.
Along with other Asian countries, Taiwan has also had its share of environmental problems and concerns recently. Earlier in the year, the government raised an alarm that low levels of precipitation in recent months was emptying reservoirs and the country might have to ration its water supply if this drought continued. Luckily, Taiwanese dodged the bullet when rainy season finally came in mid-May and parts of Taiwan got some rain.
Unfortunately, the examples listed above are merely the tip of the iceberg we call “global warming”, which is also affecting many countries in the Pacific and making Pacific Islanders “climate refugees”.
From these examples we can all see that climate change is not an arcane subject for scientific debate or a set of shifting government policies, but rather a devastating and immediate reality that can ravish us all and threaten the very existence of whole nations.
From Genesis’ account of the world’s creation, we know God originally created a beautiful world for us to inhabit and govern. But sin, avarice, and abuse by humans brought catastrophic consequences on the whole of creation.
During the 44th PCT General Assembly Annual Meeting in 1997, the church voted to make the first Sunday of June “Environment Sunday” and remind all churches, pastors, and congregations on that day to be good stewards of God’s creation.
Though many churches have done a great job in raising awareness and caring for the environment, it’s still insufficient because mere awareness won’t go far. We must change our consumption patterns and lifestyles besides merely conserving energy. We mustn’t rule out lobbying governments to save energy, exert pressure on corporations that pollute our environment, and pursue renewable energy.
Dennis Smith, President of World Association of Christian Communicators, once said, “One of the greatest strengths that we bring to this struggle to save the environment as followers of Jesus is that we believe that all truth, all beauty, all justice flows from the One Creator. And so, this not only beckons us to encourage one another to care for the environment, but also frees us to build alliances with all people of good will to raise awareness together and seek to build the common good.”
