Global Warming, Snowball Earth... God Is In Control
Craigg's Corner - October
Craig McRae serves as our representative to a monthly apologetics forum where strategies and information is discussed in order to engage our culture with the Gospel. Each month he's sharing a summary with us about what was discussed.
On Sunday, October 2, I was blessed to participate in a round table discussion with a wonderful teacher of biblical apologetics, Mr. Dick DiTullio. We reviewed many of the concepts that have been floated about regarding global warming or climate change and there are a multitude of facts regarding this issue that are not being presented by staunch supporters of man-made climate change. The main reason why academia does not still consider this topic as open is due to money and the funding that is provided to those that buy into the fear mongering. They justify their lies so as to maintain their employment and often reverse themselves and their thoughts when they retire. Any that oppose the idea that man is the only one that can change the earth’s temperature and forestall impending disaster is drummed out of the schools and denounced as unintelligent and misguided.
A second reason for sticking to the climate change diatribe as presented is that God or an intelligent designer cannot be in charge of us and our destiny. To acknowledge such a thing is to take control out of our hands. At this round table we discussed the overwhelming proof that God is in control and has provided for our needs with precise timing.
The earth has no ideal temperature. For years, the “experts” told us the earth was warming and that the polar ice caps were melting and large portions of the world would be submerged under water. This has not been happening. The Artic may have lost acreage but it has become thicker and the Antarctic has grown substantially over the past decade. Since the Middle Ages (600-1200 years ago), the earth is 2-6.5 degrees colder. Greenland was once green and void of ice. England had vineyards at one point. The earth’s climate did change and will always change but this does not mean it is due to man’s involvement.
About every 10,000 years, the earth suffers an ice age. The sun’s temperature fluctuates as its core compresses and expands. Our orbit fluctuates and is not consistent year over year. Why, when there were far fewer people and no use of fossil fuels in the year 1000 AD was the earth’s temperature higher than it is today? The last ice age we had was about 10,000 years ago and we have been due for one over the past 4 to 5 thousand years but man’s involvement may have played a role in stemming the earth’s cooling. Two significant factors have assisted us in slowing the cooling process down, deforestation of the land and cattle. With deforestation, there is less green life that processes the CO2 we animals emit and cattle produce a ton of carbon monoxide, both of which have increased the barrier over our planet that helps trap heat. Fossil fuel burning plays a role but not to the degree of the previous factors.
Without fossil fuels, we would not be as developed throughout most of the world as we are today. This gift from God came about because dinosaurs were put on earth at just the right time to die out from extreme climate change at that time (meteor hits or volcano explosions). Their death and the subsequent perfect layering of sediment on top of them eventually created the oil and natural gas pockets we have enjoyed for the past 150 years. If man had appeared on earth too soon or too late we would not be in a position to utilize this resource. The managed utilization and proper stewardship allow us to grow in capabilities and even contemplate alternative resources which are in themselves dependent on fossil fuels for their development. If we were to go back to the way the American Indian lived in North America, the land would only be able to handle about one million lives. Fossil fuels created the opportunity to better utilize our land and resources. Luck or natural evolution of this resource is more of a stretch in faith than the documented word of God. He gives us glimpses to his reasoning and actions in Psalm 104 and of course in Genesis. He frustrates us sometimes by not providing specific timing and blow by blow actions, but that was not His intent. God wanted to show man who He was, what He has done and what He did to regain a relationship with Him.
Two big flaws in global warming and the computer models they use to provide their argument are the method to which they acquire their temperatures and that they do not utilize any data on the moisture in the air when projecting into the future. Temperatures are often gathered at airports where there is considerable coverage of asphalt and concrete, reflecting higher temperatures than the same areas before the construction of the airports. Non-built up areas, even if close in proximity to airports will be cooler than the actual airport. Most computer models that have projected climate disaster over the past 20-30 years have been grossly in error. We are shocked at the projection of woe, but when it does not occur, we say nothing of miscalculations. Because much money is thrown at people wanting to predict the future, we cause greater alarm than if we had simply chosen to rely on the one true creator, protector and architect, God. He is and always has been in charge. He has provided for us all along and simply asks that we turn to Him. Is the climate changing? Yes, it changes daily and has changed significantly throughout the years. To suggest that it is man’s fault and that we are able to redirect our course by ourselves is folly.