When God made the world, he made it beautifully, stocked with a variety of four legged beasts, aquatic mammals, incredible landscapes, and unfathomable wonder. He also made humans, and while He gave us the gift of curiosity and the intelligence to create spectacular technology, but we have left a lot of destruction because of it.

While the technology we have created has allowed us to advance the human species in ways that were unimaginable 2,000 years ago, the same technology has caused environmental devastation. This not only affects the thousands of animals with whom we share our planet, but it also makes life more difficult for our fellow global citizens that live in poverty.

As Christians, it is not only our duty to honor God’s creations, but also to help our neighbors. This is especially important since climate change and natural disasters disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, such as those who live in poverty or have medical conditions.

Honor God’s Creations
Finding religious meaning in a complex issue such as climate change can be difficult. Some people doubt the validity of climate change research or deny climate research altogether. Regardless, the negative effects of plastic, pollution, and environmental damage to the planet are undeniable.

It is important to keep sustainability in mind and support it whenever possible. Many corporations’ interests in sustainable product design is growing because consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products. Supporting such companies is one step to honoring God’s creations and save them from further harm and destruction.

Although companies don’t have to be dedicated to a specific cause to be eco-friendly, you can also look for companies that do support a specific cause. For example, you can look for and support nonprofits that work to eliminate the poaching of elephants in Africa. It is ideal if you can find a few causes to support that you are passionate about, as well as do business with sustainable companies.

Do Unto Others
Just as pressing as the environmental risk factors are the social climate consequences in our community. According to Rutgers University, five factors are influencing the socio economic imbalance in the U.S., which are homelessness, income disparity, wage inequality, the digital divide, and access to healthcare.

When people in these situations face natural disasters caused by climate change, it is harder for them to recover and get back on their feet. This can make their situations even worse, provide more severe uncertainty in their lives, and even put them at risk for dangerous circumstances. Since climate change disproportionately harms the poor and vulnerable, it should be considered Christian duty to fight for reversal of global warming.

The Light of Loving
Fostering and adopting eco-friendly and sustainable practices is one important way for Christians to show love for the planet and for one another. You can find out how you can do this to the best of your abilities by educating yourself with research and books such as “Love in a Time of Climate Change.”

In a summary by Progressive Christianity, it is stated that the book “uses scripture, tradition, reason, and experience to explore the themes of creation and justice in the context of the earth’s changing climate.” There is no better way to describe the religious duty to help others than through compassion, love, and scripture.

Climate change is travesty to God’s creations and the family he created for us here on earth. As Christians, we must not only do what we can to stop the problem from getting worse, but we must also do everything possible to reverse the effects. Doing this will honor the world made by God and fulfill our responsibility to relinquish evil and bring good to others.