by Jim Ball

More than half of the actions to reduce global warming pollution worldwide will need to come from outside the electricity and industrial sectors. While electricity's potential is the largest at 26%, you might be surprised to learn that the forestry sector is the next largest at 21%. And actions in the forestry sector keep overall costs of overcoming global warming worldwide down significantly " it would cost approximately 50 percent more without them.

Here in the US, forestry accounts for around 11% of potential reductions, the same as transportation, while forestry and agriculture combined equal 17%, the same as what can be achieved via the industrial sector.

For the President simply to talk about clean energy won't get us where we need to be in the U.S. on forestry and agriculture. And our innovations in these areas are needed to help prime the pump worldwide. But for us to play our part, the President must lead.

Next Up: Ocean Acidification

The Rev. Jim Ball, Ph.D., is EEN's Executive Vice President for Policy and author of Global Warming and the Risen LORD.

by Jim Ball

Today's blog provides Reason 3 of the 7 Reasons Why the President must talk about climate change and not just clean energy.

For years now natural gas has been touted as the "clean" fossil fuel, given that it lacks air pollutants like soot and mercury. And when burned at a power plant to make electricity, it produces about half the global warming emissions as coal.

As such, natural gas has been pushed by some supporters of climate action as a "bridge" that will help take us from the fossil era into the clean energy era. (See, for example, former Sen. Tim Worth's comments here and here and here.)

In his 2012 State of the Union address, the President proclaimed his Administration's strong commitment to natural gas development. He recently reiterated this in a speech in New Hampshire on March 1st:

"We're taking every possible action to develop a near 100-year supply of natural gas, which releases fewer carbons."

Unfortunately, serious reservations have recently been raised about natural gas serving as a "bridge" to a climate-friendly future. Indeed, natural gas could be "all hat and no cattle" when it comes to overcoming global warming.

First, two prominent scientists, Myhrvold and Calderia just published the results from "a quantitative model of energy system transitions that includes life-cycle emissions and the central physics of greenhouse warming." Essentially they gamed out scenarios for replacing coal-generated electricity with electricity generated from sources that are less carbon intensive to determine what temperature reductions they would bring and when. They concluded that natural gas "cannot yield substantial temperature reductions this century."

On its own this study raises important questions about natural gas as part of overcoming global warming. Certainly more study is needed along such lines.

But other disturbing news has come to light about natural gas.

Recent studies (here and here and here) have indicated that current and future natural gas production in this country could produce more global warming pollution than coal -- even more when looking at a 20-year time-frame. The main reason? Natural gas fields are leaking much more gas than previously thought.

Again, more study is needed of such "fugitive emissions" as they are called. But enough has been done to raise very serious questions. These fugitive emissions could be addressed by an upcoming regulation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). By how much is not yet clear.

Taken together, these studies suggest that natural gas can no longer be relied upon as part of a strategy of climate change mitigation. It could be "fool's gold" when it comes to overcoming global warming, foolish investments that take money away from real solutions.

As such, the President cannot tout natural gas as part of an energy strategy he privately hopes will also address climate change. Indeed, it requires the Administration to put the brakes on natural gas until these serious climate concerns are thoroughly assessed. To justify such a major change in policy would require the President to talk about a key reason for the switch: climate change.

Next Up: It's Not Just About Energy: Deforestation, Agriculture

The Rev. Jim Ball, Ph.D., is EEN's Executive Vice President for Policy and Climate Change and author of Global Warming and the Risen LORD.

by Jim Ball

As I put forward in the Introduction to this blog series, there are 7 Reasons Why the President must talk about climate change and not just clean energy. Last week I posted Reason 1, arguing that to avoid dangerous tipping points global emissions must peak during the next presidential term. Today's post is Reason 2.

We're going to need a clean energy revolution whose rate of change must be incredibly fast. A gradual transition won't cut it. This revolution will require strong and sustained Presidential leadership.

According to the respected business consulting firm McKinsey & Co., to overcome global warming will require a 10-fold increase in carbon productivity (or amount of output produced per unit of carbon). Has something like this ever been achieved? Yes. The Industrial Revolution achieved a 10-fold increase in labor productivity. However, our "carbon revolution" will have to occur in one third the time.

Here's where things currently stand. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently released its annual forecast. (The EIA is an independent analytical agency of the federal government that tracks energy use and trends, including greenhouse gas emissions.) It projects that US carbon dioxide pollution will be 7% below the 2005 level in 2020, and will continue to stay below 2005 levels through 2035 even with a 25 percent rise in population. This results from increased fuel economy standards, appliance standards, federal clean air regulations, state policies requiring more renewable energy, and a rise in natural gas use, but doesn't yet include two other major policies that will reduce emissions further " the mercury regulation of power plants and the next round of fuel economy standards.

While we're moving in the right direction, this current EIA projection is less than half of the commitment we made at the 2009 international climate talks in Copenhagen (or 17 percent below 2005 levels). And the commitments made at Copenhagen are themselves not enough to overcome global warming.

So here's the deal: we're on the right path, but without comprehensive climate change legislation that includes a price on carbon we won't get there. The President's proposed Clean Energy Standard, focused on making electricity much cleaner and climate-friendly, is important but insufficient. A price on carbon is still needed to drive innovation throughout the economy. Such a price on carbon could be provided by market-based policies like a cap-and-trade system or a revenue-neutral carbon tax where those who do the right thing effectively get a tax cut. The resulting innovation will benefit not simply the U.S. The world needs us to make such investments and drive such innovation. As McKinsey & Co has shown, emissions from electricity generation and from industry represent less than half of the potential opportunities to overcome global warming worldwide. Other sectors like forestry and agriculture must also contribute (discussed further in Reason 4, forthcoming).

If emissions didn't need to peak by 2015-17, if the rate of change needed to overcome global warming was much slower, then we could get away with talking just about clean energy and proposing policies like a Clean Energy Standard. We could avoid talking about putting a price on carbon. And the President could avoid talking about making overcoming global warming a top priority.

But ignoring the rate of change needed or wishing it away won't make it disappear. It's a reality we must face.

Next Up: Natural Gas May Be "Fool's Gold"

The Rev. Jim Ball, Ph.D., is EEN's Executive Vice President for Policy and Climate Change and author of Global Warming and the Risen LORD.

by Jim Ball

Yesterday I posted up the Introduction to this series of blogs providing 7 Reasons Why the President must talk about climate change and not just clean energy. Today's blog presents the first of these seven reasons.

Whoever is President during the next term (2013-2016) will be the most important President ever -- before or since -- on overcoming global warming. No one person in the history of the world will have more opportunity to lead on climate change. He can't do it alone, but without strong leadership from the President we won't get it done. Simple as that.

Just talking about clean energy doesn't convey either the urgency or the scale of the changes needed. When it comes to overcoming global warming, the International Energy Agency (IEA), which advises the G20 on energy matters, concluded the following in their latest annual report, the World Energy Outlook 2011:

• 80 percent of the world's emissions budget is already "locked in" due to existing energy-related infrastructure (e.g. power plants, buildings, vehicles) and we are on track to lock in the remaining 20 percent by 2017.
• If significant action is delayed until 2015, "around 45 percent of the global fossil-fuel capacity installed by then would have to be retired early or refurbished by 2035."
• If action is delayed until 2017, all new energy-consuming capital stock will have to produce no global warming pollution if we are to have a chance at overcoming global warming. In other words, all new buildings, vehicles, power plants, etc., must be zero carbon/GHGs in order not to exceed a 2 degrees Celsius rise from preindustrial levels or 450ppm.

Next up: We Need a Revolution, Not a Transition

The Rev. Jim Ball, Ph.D., is EEN's Executive Vice President for Policy and Climate Change and author of Global Warming and the Risen LORD.

by Jim Ball

[Editor's Note: This is the Introduction to a 7-part blog series.]

Climate change has nearly disappeared from the national conversation. But climate change itself has not disappeared. It still remains the great moral challenge of our time, impacting billions this century and a mortal threat to millions of the world's poor. And if we don't act decisively in the next few years dangerous tipping points could be crossed with consequences yet to be fully imagined. Overcoming climate change is still possible, but that window will soon close.

Instead of talking about climate change, President Obama talks about clean energy -- and here lately he's shifted from talking about clean energy to talking about "American energy," even using a favorite phrase of Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans, an "all of the above" approach to American energy.

The Administration's branding of their energy strategy

Now there are lots of good things associated with clean energy, with striving for "energy security" and "energy independence." And it is vital to have an emphasis on producing more clean energy here in the United States. Who isn't for clean energy made in America?

But to be a real leader of our country at this moment requires the President to talk about overcoming global warming, not just energy.

To have the necessary political and moral authority to be the leader he needs to be, the next President (whether that be our current President or Gov. Romney) must state publicly that overcoming global warming will be a top priority in his Administration; without this, it will be extremely difficult for him to come to Congress and the country and ask for their support, given that major changes are needed that will affect all of us.

I'm sure President Obama's rhetorical turns of phrase on energy poll quite well. And I'm guessing his political advisors could be telling the President to stay away from talking about climate change.

But for the good of the country and the world the President must explain to the country why significant climate action is needed.

Here are 7 reasons why:

1. To Avoid Dangerous Tipping Points Global Emissions Must Peak During the Next Presidential Term

2. We Need A Revolution, Not A Transition

3. Natural Gas May Be "Fool's Gold"

4. It's Not Just About Energy: Deforestation, Agriculture

5. Ocean Acidification

6. The Need to Adapt

7. Essential to Create Public Support to Pass Climate Change Legislation

(These 7 Reasons Why also apply to Gov. Romney. But he must also clarify his basic stance on the issue.)

As part of this series, each of these 7 reasons will be posted as a separate blog post over the coming days.

Next Up: Reason 1: To Avoid Dangerous Tipping Points Global Emissions Must Peak during the Next Presidential Term

The Rev. Jim Ball, Ph.D., is EEN's Executive Vice President for Policy and Climate Change and author of Global Warming and the Risen LORD.

Jim Ball interviews Curtis Witek a former graduate at Wheaton College who is involved in A Rocha Wheaton which promotes care for God's creation.

Jim Ball interviews Victor Mughogho at Global Day of Prayer for Creation Care in Washington, DC April 26, 2012

The title track from one Red Mountain Music's latest record of hymn renovations. Really wonderful and hopeful song for us and all creation waiting for the return of Christ.

by Kate Perkins

Recently I had the opportunity to meet Victor, the Executive Director of Eagles Relief and Development Program who was visiting the DC area with the Environmental Evangelical Network.

We spoke over a short afternoon about the effects of global warming on the culture and economy of Malawi, his home culture. It was both heartbreaking and shocking to realize the ways a shorter growing season (now common in the United States as well) could affect a national food supply. I was especially struck by his comments about how many people in his country who have HIV are dependent on getting nutritious, healthy food and aren't getting it- and how much worse their health conditions become as a result. While in America we can seemingly believe that we have an unlimited food supply-- in reality, food costs DO increase and affect the lives of the vulnerable and sick, including those who have HIV in our own city and country.

I left the conversation wondering if climate change was more pronounced in developing nations like Malawi- and those of us in America can continue to turn a "blind eye" because of our reliance on the industrial economy to produce goods for us. Victor had a clearly personal sense that the people of Malawi- and the world NOW must think of those who will come LATER. While many individualistic, "today" focused Americans would find this sort of reasoning uncompelling, it was clear that to him he felt a deep, moving sense of responsibility towards future generations who would inherit the world we had continued to mess up. It was clear he identified this as a mode of generational sin.

When I asked him what he hoped for the church in America he said a couple of summary remarks that helped me to think about moving forward on climate change:

1. The church in America must take stewardship of the earth seriously and recognize that the scriptures call us to care.

2. The church in America must take responsibility to become a part of the solution to climate change and stop sitting idly by.

3. The church in America just take action both locally and globally on the part of the world and especially vulnerable people whose lives will continue to be impacted in extreme ways by climate change.

Lon Allison is the Executive Director for The Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. Lon shares his insights on being good stewards of God's creation to man during the Global Day of Prayer for Creation Care and the Poor.

Chris Wright - Langham Partnership's International Director delivers the keynote address at the Global Day of Prayer for Creation Care and the Poor on April 26, 2012 in Washington DC.

by Mitch Hescox

I have a confession. I'm an evangelical Christian and I love to share Jesus. I love to tell the story of Jesus and his love. Jesus' story is a love story - a love for God, for all creation, a special love for the most vulnerable, for you, and for me. Jesus' love story doesn't offer an escape from this world, but it does offer hope for a new one, a renewed creation where all things are made new. The ultimate focus of the scriptures is that in the end Jesus will return us to a new beginning, a beginning that reflects its original design.

That original story, the one in Genesis, tells us that God walked daily with humanity, and we walked with him, living in sustainable peace with the rest of creation. The beginning expressed God's goodness in all that was created including the genuine happiness and joy that ensued.

In telling Jesus' love story, I'm not willing to make the same mistakes made by the 19th century social gospel movement. Sin still exists and God's Kingdom won't be complete until Jesus' return. However, the already but not yet exists, and we as Jesus' disciples are commanded to live now in the expectation of the future fulfillment. In fact, we must live as Jesus for this world until he returns, and that means loving as Christ loved - his greatest commandment.

1 John 3:19-24 (CEV)
When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in
the presence of God. But even if we don't feel at ease, God is greater than our
feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence
of God, we will have the courage to come near him. He will give us whatever we ask,
because we obey him and do what pleases him. God wants us to have faith in his Son
Jesus Christ and to love each other. This is also what Jesus taught us to do. If we obey God's commandments, we will stay one in our hearts with him, and he will stay one with us. The Spirit that he has given us is proof that we are one with him.

Christ's love alive in us makes the world worth living in and provides us our daily provision for happiness, fulfillment, and joy. While this may seem like some empty statement, it's real and changed my life. I admit it's hard to explain until you receive Jesus' love, but those who have it know it, and those who don't have to ask for it. Jesus' followers overflow in his love and know it's more wonderful than anything is. Jesus' love makes life complete. His love satisfies more than the sweetest kiss or the joy of childbirth. Jesus' love outlasts the latest toy - even big people ones, the most successful business deal or even the great joy of grand parenting. Simply put, knowing Jesus' love and sharing that love supersedes anything human. It's the greatest joy in the entire universe and the greatest story ever told. Yet, we, the American church, seem to live more in fear and fear's external symptom, hate.

In the 4th Century, Gregory of Nyssa characterized the Christian journey in three stages. The first stage begins in fear as in being a slave, the second seeks reward as a good servant, and finally a friendship based on love and relationship. Gregory's points have too often become the basis for the church's theology and evangelism. Come to Jesus and save yourself from damnation (fear) - certainly the message of many an evangelist is "the sinners in the hands of an angry God." Others stress the reward of heaven, but unfortunately, this focus on escaping the present reality does nothing to further our Lord's commands to love and care for the least of these. Only as we transform by God's grace to understand God as sovereign friend in a loving relationship do we find the real good news in Jesus.

Looking around the evangelical church today or at least what so many evangelical leaders share in the press, it is hard to find deep expressions of a love built upon a relationship with Jesus. Joy should be the outward visible countenance of Christians. We should be the happiest people on earth. We have been freed from our pasts, have a friend in a glorious Savior, and a future already known. Christ's love does amazing things all around and when I look around within my church circles - I see fear and hate dominate so much. It's as if we are returning to the mourner's bench.

No one knows the full history but sometime in the early 19th century Methodist and Baptists began an interesting evangelism technique, the mourner's bench. The bench, originally used in camp meetings and later incorporated into sanctuaries, was placed right in front of the preacher, and many times the community's most "despicable" character was forcibly seated there. In true "hell fire and brimstone" preaching the "sinner" mourned their past and repented of their sins to avoid damnation.

Fear, manipulation, and coercion forced many a conversion and certainly a bit more friendly than the few hundred years' earlier method of being burnt at the stake. (The theological belief was it was better to feel the fire and recant instead of spending an eternity in flames.) Neither the mourner's bench nor the stake can be considered acts of love. Fear simply doesn't reflect Jesus or His Kingdom - not now, not ever. Repeatedly Scripture records the message, fear not. Fear represents the actions of the overly zealous and the misguided blinded by their allegiance to doctrine and not biblical faith. Somehow, I believed we were overcoming the "fear factor" but it's ripe and spreading across our nation. Just look at current events, religious leaders, politics, and everyday life for a glimpse.

We see Christians quoted in newspapers disparaging Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney for being a member of the Latter Day Saints and the same folks referring to our current President as a Muslim. Are these statements acts of love? We see immigrants dehumanized daily and yet Scripture has clear commands for caring for the stranger. Is this love? Nowhere more does fear and fear mongering present itself than attacks on science.

It's incredulous that our society has grown dependent on modern medicine, electronic technology, air travel, and literally millions of scientific advancements but we still love to belittle science. Recently, I witnessed a pastor giving a sermon berating science from his Ipad- talk about an oxymoron! Nowhere does this fear present itself as pure ugliness than in sharing climate change, the greatest moral challenge of our time.

Today across the world people are hungry, thirsty, disease ridden, and dying by the hundreds of thousands each year but so many in the United States deny climate change reality because of fear. Even with every major scientific body in the world recognizing that climate change results from humanity's use of fossil fuels - fear dominates reality. Moreover, there are those who spread the fear with name-calling and identifying people like me as a "Green Dragon", a not to subtle reference to the evil one's beast from the New Testament's Book of Revelation.

Personally, I refer to myself as the Jolly Green Giant filled with Christ's joy and hope rather than the allusion to fear. Fear preys on our fallen humanity instead of the life given in Christ. Fear degenerates into a mentality of scarcity instead of trust in the Good Shepherd to provide all our needs.

 Psalm 23 (NIV)
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Recently the Heartland Institute, thankfully, failed in their attempt to continue this fear campaign in the secular world by linking climate change believers to Osama Bin Laden and the Unabomber. Calling people names, linking them to evil and dehumanizing them are broad attempts in both the church and the secular world to feed on our most basic fear: change. Fear of change isn't new. Who among Christians doesn't remember the Exodus story?

In the middle of the wilderness, Moses faced a revolt as many wanted to return to their known life of slavery instead of moving forward toward freedom's hope in the Promised Land. However, those living in much of the majority world don't have 40 years for us to grapple with our fear. Fear exacerbates our reality and delays God's hope for us all. It's time to reject fear and those who profit from it and move forward together in love, Jesus' love for all God's children.

Imagine what might have happened if Jesus gave in to his last temptation, fear. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced temptation to deny the cross and have the "cup" removed as fear almost overcame love. In the most powerful scene in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ Jesus arises from his temptation and stomps the serpent signaling victory over fear. Jesus' victory in the garden, on the cross, and ultimately his resurrection provides the love to overcome our fear and trust in the hope of our Risen Lord.

Are we returning to the mourner's bench and allowing fear to dominate our faith? I hope not for it's not the way of Jesus. I can't speak for all the church, but I have hope provided in Christ's love to overcome our challenges, live like Christ and share the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom. For me it's simple, it's love.

I love to tell the story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
because I know 'tis true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else can do.

I love to tell the story,
'twill be my theme in glory,
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.

By Katherine Hankey

The Rev. Mitchel C. Hescox is President & CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network