Climate Change or Global Warming

In South Africa they were having thunderstorms which everyone told us never happen in the cold months. This is another proof to me that we are having climate change. Many people think that because things have been unusually cold that it proves that global warming does not exist. I believe the people who first named the phenomenon ‘global warming’ made a huge mistake. It should have been called climate change from the beginning. I recently heard a conversation that someone was having about the unusually cool weather that has occurred in the states over the last few months.

“This proves that global warming does not exist.”

What global warming will do is actually cause more extremes in weather patterns. This means extremes between hot and cold, rain and drought and so on. Thus South Africa is having November thunderstorms in June, Mozambique has had 40-50% higher incidence of flooding and droughts in the last decade and Colorado has been having, on average, less snow in the mountains. They are actually starting to call it ‘climate change’ which is a lot more accurate of a description and creates less of an excuse for people to resist the change that is needed in their lives because of a cold summer.

Yet, there will always be those people who refuse to believe in the face of overwhelming evidence. I can understand this to a degree, though, because there are all sorts of theories and advice, and not all should be believed (case in point: an ideal baby should feed every 3 hours, all will grow at a certain predetermined weight and a string should be tied to their waist to ward off evil). After all I would probably be the one looking at Noah’s ark and saying, what is that crazy man with the long white beard doing with that gopher barky-barky.

I am all for testing the spirits, and the professionals, but the changes that we should be making for ‘climate change’ are the same changes we should be making that builds for peace and loves our neighbors who may be more effected by the change then we are. Jesus called us to put others higher than ourselves. If people are dying in floods in Mozambique, and there might be a chance that it could be exasperated by my overuse of my car, even just a chance, wouldn’t I want to change my life for the sake of that person’s life to make sure that I wasn’t causing harm? I mean, wouldn’t we in North America do that for our own children. If we knew there was a slight risk to their lives, even if not proven, we would change for their sake.

I know, this is preachy and I am guilty just the same. I still have to ask the questions.

Joel