Creation Sunday 2006: April 23 (suggested)
Theme: Climate Change
Our world needs "greenhouse gases", such as water vapour and carbon dioxide, to blanket the earth and keep it warm enough to sustain life.
Since the industrial revolution around 1750, one of these greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, has increased by over 30% and is now at a higher concentration in the atmosphere than it has been for many thousands of years. Chemical analysis of the carbon demonstrates that this increase is due largely to the burning of fossil fuels—coal, oil and gas.
The climate record over the last 1,000 years shows a lot of natural variability but the rise in global average temperature (and the rate of rise) that has occurred during the 20th century is well outside the range of known natural variability. The projected rise in temperture is the equivalent of, say, half an ice age in less than 100 years—a larger rate of change than for at least 10,000 years. Adapting to such a rate will be difficult for both humans and many ecosystems.
Sir John Houghton, Evangelical Christian and chairman of the scientific assessment of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), says regarding climate change that he is
optimistic for three reasons. First, I have experienced the commitment of the world scientific community (including scientists from many different nations, backgrounds and cultures) in painstakingly and honestly working together to understand the problems and assessing what needs to be done. Secondly, I believe the necessary technology is available for achieving satisfactory solutions. My third reason is that I believe God is committed to his creation. He demonstrated this most eloquently by sending his son Jesus to be part of creation and by giving to us the responsibility of being good stewards of creation.(Read Sir John's presentation to the NAE from March 2005)
Materials Available
General creation care-based worship and educational resources are available on the following pages
Specific materials, resources, and suggestions related to our 2006 theme, "Climate Change," can be found on the following pages of our Evangelical Climate Initiative site: