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, except when Republican presidential candidates were denying it or backtracking from it. 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.

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 during the campaign 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, given that coal is vital to the economies of key presidential battleground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Any one of these states could end up determining who inhabits the White House in the next Presidential term.

In a recent Rolling Stone interview President Obama recognized that talking about climate change will likely become a part of the presidential campaign. Here is what the President said in context:

Part of the challenge over these past three years [concerning climate change] has been that people's number-one priority is finding a job and paying the mortgage and dealing with high gas prices. In that environment, it's been easy for the other side to pour millions of dollars into a campaign to debunk climate-change science. I suspect that over the next six months, this is going to be a debate that will become part of the campaign, and I will be very clear in voicing my belief that we're going to have to take further steps to deal with climate change in a serious way. That there's a way to do it that is entirely compatible with strong economic growth and job creation " that taking steps, for example, to retrofit buildings all across America with existing technologies will reduce our power usage by 15 or 20 percent. That's an achievable goal, and we should be getting started now. (Emphasis added.)

But for the good of the country and the world the President must not sit back and wait for climate change to become a campaign issue, or continue only to talk about energy. He must explain to the country why significant climate action is needed and that it will be a top priority if he is reelected.

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

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

Stay tuned!

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.