Session 5 - Environmentalism

“Preservation of our environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge, it's common sense.”

RONALD REAGAN, Jan. 25, 1984

Why is this an apologetic topic?

Many different views and philosophies exist on this topic…

We will see what actually is going on, what legitimate concerns are, and what is hyped up far to much

(and some flat out falsehoods)

Toxic pollutants and the industrial world

Years ago many complaints were rightfully raised by scientists and doctors!

Pollutants were being emitted into the environment by many

different activities

What were some legitimate pollutants needing control?

Lead- MercuryDioxins - Arsenic

Carbon monoxide - Ozone Nitrogen oxides - Sulfur oxides (dioxide, and trioxide)

The EPA has established standards that have stopped many of the issues

Standards and regulations are

also in place for scrubbers and washers etc.

Landfill standards, waste incinerator standards, and engine standards have also been put in

place years ago

Endangered species and animal rights

Many species have gone extinct (Our definition of species)

Outrageous measures are taken sometimes to protect these species

There are some good economic, medical, and ethical reasons for protecting these species… But it does not call for the extent some have taken it too.

Proverbs 12:10 Whoever is

righteous has regard for the

life of his beast, but the mercy

of the wicked is cruel.

Plant rights is a whole other topic…

Global warming

“All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an

end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's here, and its

effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster.” BARACK

OBAMA, speech, Apr. 3, 2006

Your view on earth history will greatly impact your view on global warming

“Analysis of temperatures from many locations, excluding those affected by urban growth, show a

slight average (see Myth 4) global increase over the last century of about 0.5 degrees C. Whether this increase is due to normal climate cycles over the centuries, changes

in the Sun’s activity, natural CO2 emissions, or man-caused CO2 emissions is the subject of fierce debate.

However, the earth began warming following the end of “The Little Ice Age” (about 1850), well before the increase

in CO2 levels due to burning fossil fuels. In fact, global temperatures have fallen over the past eight years,

despite increases in emissions.”Russell Humphreys (Ph.D Physics)

The greenhouse gas effect

How the greenhouse effect works…

We want the greenhouse effect… look at Venus

What are the different gases?

The predictions and the results

“Note that global temperatures were predicted to rise throughout the decade of 2000-2010. Instead,

global temperatures have remained remarkably steady over that same time period:”

Dr. Jay Wile (Ph.D Chemistry) http://blog.drwile.com/

Those who want to convince us of this horrible future use computer models to do that…

Think about it… weather predictions 10-50 years in advance?

Storms increasing in frequency?

“Records of storm frequency and intensity show no increase in the

violence of weather events such as hurricanes

/cyclones and tornados. The number of severe

tornados in the USA, for example, has declined 43% between 1950 and 2006.” -

Russell Humphreys

Storms are not increasing in

frequency

The temperature increase will melt the ice caps and flood billions of people and

thousands of cities?

Is this really happening though?

“Why did the loss of sea ice seem to halt after its precipitous drop in 2007? Why weren’t the doomsayers correct in their prediction of a rapid drop in sea ice that

would eventually lead to no summer sea ice in the Arctic in the very near future? Most likely, because of one of the many negative feedback mechanisms with

which the earth has been designed In fact, J.‐É. Tremblay and colleagues might have even

uncovered which negative feedback mechanism is at play here. They surveyed the Arctic in 2007 and 2008,

and they found that as the sea ice retreated, many organisms in the Arctic such as ice algae,

phytoplankton, and zooplankton started increasing the amount of photosynthesis they were doing.”

“…After all, as the ice went away, more ocean was exposed to sunlight. In addition, the climatic changes that caused the loss of sea ice also caused changes in

the local ocean currents. These changes brought in nutrients that the Arctic organisms needed to increase their photosynthesis. Of course, photosynthesis takes carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and replaces it

with oxygen. Thus, if atmospheric carbon dioxide really is driving an increase in the temperature of the

Arctic, the increased photosynthesis caused by the retreating sea ice and the changes in the ocean

currents ended up reducing carbon dioxide levels.”

God has created our world with mechanisms that are either positive feedback or negative

feedback mechanisms

If carbon dioxide is causing the sea ice to

disappear then there are mechanisms that reverse it and stabilize the earths

temperature

A convincing model to explain the heat fluctuations

A little bit of information on the sun

and how it works…

How do sun spots form?

The temperature of the sun is actually hotter with more sunspots

The number of sunspots change all the time, and have been tracked throughout history

Different methods are also used to see the temperature throughout the past 400 years

(dendrochronology)

The figured out that the number of sunspots directly effect the temperature of the earth

(obviously)

“Once the sun’s effects are removed, the shaky but steady increase in temperature over the past

400 years is almost completely gone.”Dr. Jay Wile (Ph.D Chemistry) http://blog.drwile.com/

“The greatest warming unrelated to the sun’s activity occurred in the 1900s, long before carbon

dioxide levels were increasing significantly.”Dr. Jay Wile

The suns activity can account for all the fluctuations we see in the earths temperature! And the flight variations aside from sun activity, have nothing to do with industrial “pollution”

of greenhouse gases

There are signs that the temperatures were actually a lot warmer hundreds of years ago… Like the Vikings and grapes! (AKA) this is nothing new

What does the Bible say?

Psalm 24:1-2“The earth is the LORD’s,

and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell

therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And

established it upon the waters.”

Genesis 1:31 “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

Psalm 95:4-54 In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.

Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them

have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the

earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

God created everything, but gave man dominion

Genesis 1:28: “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea,

over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

As most of us know , that is not the end of

the story

Genesis 3:17-19: “And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you

are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

We ruined creation

Romans 8:18-24: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager

longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly,

but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to

corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has

been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who

have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption

of our bodies.

Hebrews 1:10-12: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but

You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And

Your years will not fail.”

Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

Isaiah 51:6: “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment,

and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness

will never be dismayed.”

History of the environment in the Bible

CreationPre-flood world

Flood Post-Flood and the Ice Age

Memory verse

Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”

Remember though! If global warming was actually happening, it in no way disproves

what the Bible says…