I wrote some time ago on the church blog about our environment and how as Christians we are called upon to be custodians of the earth.

I am returning to this theme in light of Sir David Attenborough’s speech in Katowice, Poland.

Sir David Attenborough is a much-respected naturalist who has been on our screens since he first appeared in the 1950s and has always highlighted the need to care for our planet and the many species we share the earth with.

While attending a UN-sponsored meeting about the environment, Sir David pointed out in his speech the very real possibility of the collapse of civilization as we know it and the wholesale elimination of many species through human activity on our planet. For example, much global warming is caused by countries that use fossil fuel instead of renewable energy. Poland for example, although open to the idea of renewable energy, is largely reliant on coal. China and lately the USA (thanks to Trump) are all reliant on coal to meet their energy needs. So for a huge nation like the USA, it is hugely disappointing that a nation that likes to think of itself as a role model pulled out of the Paris Climate Accord. 29 leaders or representatives of different nations are attending this global conference.

How seriously world leaders will take what Sir David Attenborough has said, remains to be seen. Many of the 29 nations, including the current administration in the USA, still doubt the concept of man-made activity causing global warming, despite the science that offers proof it exists.

Though Sir David Attenborough is not a Christian, his argument about the planet is relevant to us as Christians. We know that one day in scripture we are told that there will be a new heaven and earth, not just for man but for all of God’s creatures. In the meantime, if we look to scripture the Bible clearly tells us to administer the natural environment in a caring and mindful way.

I will leave you with a few scriptures that support this view: Jeremiah 2:7 says, “And I bought you into a land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination”.

1 Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they are found trustworthy”.

God bless you xx.