Scientists say that global warming is not only because of natural cycles, but that human activity also has a huge impact on it. We emit greenhouse gases through combustion of fossil fuels in power plants, buildings, factories and vehicles. Many of our industries, like agriculture and petroleum, release gases that contribute to it. The “greenhouse effect” happens when these gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere instead of letting it escape into space.
According to nationalgeographic.com, “the impacts of rising temperatures aren’t waiting for some far-flung future–the effects of global warming are appearing right now. The heat is melting glaciers and sea ice, shifting precipitation patterns, and setting animals on the move.”
In 1988, the United Nations formed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, which meets every few years to assess the situation globally. It states, “Taken as a whole, the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.”
In December 2015, government leaders gathered at the Paris Climate Conference to adopt an international framework called The Paris Agreement, which is the first-ever universal and legally binding global climate change agreement to limit global warming. This effort is on a huge scale, but it must also be translated into individuals doing their share.
What can we do personally to nurture our environment and prevent the ill effects of global warming from escalating? Following the slogan of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, we could segregate wastes into biodegradable and non-biodegradable. We need to remember to bring our eco bags when we shop so that we would not use plastics all the time. We could use a personal straw instead of using a plastic straw each time we go to a fast food restaurant. We could buy products from “green” companies so that we could do our part in affirming them and in encouraging recycling of products.
Genesis 2:15 reminds us to practice responsible stewardship: “The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.” It exhorts us to take care of the planet in which we live. This is God’s gift to us.
Pope Francis, in his Encyclical on the Care for our Common Home, Laudato Sí, enlightens us, “(217)…the ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion. Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
