Matthew 22:26-30 says,"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Originating from this verse, we must see that everyone on the planet is our neighbor now! Jesus did not say that our neighbors were limited- and since we have become a global community, and since global warming is affecting the entire global community, then our neighbors are that global community- everyone on Earth is our neighbor.

A report was published in 2009 by the USGCRP in 2009 that establishes beyond a doubt that Global Warming is a fact. Here are the key points from that report:

1. Global warming is unequivocal and primarily human-induced. Global temperature has increased over the past 50 years. This observed increase is due primarily to human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases. (p. 13)

1. Climate changes are underway in the United States and are projected to grow. Climate-related changes are already observed in the United States and its coastal waters. These include increases in heavy downpours, rising temperature and sea level, rapidly retreating glaciers, thawing permafrost, lengthening growing seasons, lengthening ice-free seasons in the ocean and on lakes and rivers, earlier snowmelt, and alterations in river flows. These changes are projected to grow. (p. 27)

2. Widespread climate-related impacts are occurring now and are expected to increase. Climate changes are already affecting water, energy, transportation, agriculture, ecosystems, and health. These impacts are different from region to region and will grow under projected climate change. (p. 41-106, 107-152)

3. Climate change will stress water resources. Water is an issue in every region, but the nature of the potential impacts varies. Drought, related to reduced precipitation, increased evaporation, and increased water loss from plants, is an important issue in many regions, especially in the West. Floods and water quality problems are likely to be amplified by climate change in most regions. Declines in mountain snowpack are important in the West and Alaska where snowpack provides vital natural water storage. (p. 41, 129, 135, 139)

4. Crop and livestock production will be increasingly challenged. Agriculture is considered one of the sectors most adaptable to changes in climate. However, increased heat, pests, water stress, diseases, and weather extremes will pose adaptation challenges for crop and livestock production. (p. 71)

5. Coastal areas are at increasing risk from sea-level rise and storm surge. Sea-level rise and storm surge place many U.S. coastal areas at increasing risk of erosion and flooding, especially along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, Pacific Islands, and parts of Alaska. Energy and transportation infrastructure and other property in coastal areas are very likely to be adversely affected. (p. 111, 139, 145, 149)

6. Threats to human health will increase. Health impacts of climate change are related to heat stress, waterborne diseases, poor air quality, extreme weather events, and diseases transmitted by insects and rodents. Robust public health infrastructure can reduce the potential for negative impacts. (p. 89)

7. Climate change will interact with many social and environmental stresses. Climate change will combine with pollution, population growth, overuse of resources, urbanization, and other social, economic, and environmental stresses to create larger impacts than from any of these factors alone. (p. 99)

8. Thresholds will be crossed, leading to large changes in climate and ecosystems. There are a variety of thresholds in the climate system and ecosystems. These thresholds determine, for example, the presence of sea ice and permafrost, and the survival of species, from fish to insect pests, with implications for society. With further climate change, the crossing of additional thresholds is expected. (p. 76, 82, 115, 137, 142)

9. Future climate change and its impacts depend on choices made today.

The amount and rate of future climate change depend primarily on current and future human-caused emissions of heat-trapping gases and airborne particles. Responses involve reducing emissions to limit future warming, and adapting to the changes that are unavoidable. (p. 25, 29) http://globalchange.gov/publications/reports/scientific-assessments/us-impacts/key-findings

God gave man dominion over the Earth in Genesis 1:28. This verse seems to imply that we are supposed to "conquer" Earth (dominion). But if we look at the verse, and the language from which it comes, a more proper translation of Genesis 28 would read like this:“Be fruitful and have children, filling the earth with your life so that you can have power to fight against everything in it that leads to death. Rule with care and fairness over the natural world, over the myriads of My beautiful creatures - from tropical fish to soaring eagles to dogs and cats – every creature that is a part of this living world.” Here is a link which explains this idea.

I think it is time that we heed the words of the Bible, and realize that we have a spiritual duty to do something to stop global warming. I have heard people joking about the bad weather- the droughts in the South, the floods of the north, the melting of the permafrost in Alaska, the shrinking of the ice on both poles- and saying that the "End Times" are coming. This is nonsense. Instead, we are not heeding the words of both God and Jesus by ignoring what we are doing to the planet.

So is it is time to make a shift in our thinking, and realize that we are disobeying God in what we are doing to Earth? Is it is time to make conquering global warming a spiritual battle that we must dedicate our hearts to reversing?

Thoughts?

Blessings, Jaianniah