Climate Change: A Conveniently Forgotten Truth?Andy Freeman - 17 Jan 2014

I'm writing this article from a little coffee shop in England. It's raining outside and inside many of the customers are talking about the weather - our favourite British past time.

If you've watched the news recently you'd have found it hard to miss the extreme weather going on round the world. Following on from an autumn of extreme storms like the one in the Philippines, we've had a winter of European flooding, North American polar vortexes, unlikely snow in the Middle East and extreme heat postponing one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world. What should we make of it all?

Whenever extreme weather hits, conversation used to turn to global warming. But does it still? Or have those two words become a bit worn? Lost a bit of their punch? Even as evidence for it continues to grow daily and freakish weather alongside a change in our planets' climate becomes harder to ignore, we still seem to find a way too.

Snow in Egypt. Flights to the US grounded for days. And 4.4 million people left homeless in the Philippines.

There's never been a time when caring for the environment was more important. And let us not forget that the Bible makes it quite clear who God left in charge of the world (Genesis 2:15).

So as we struggle to keep up the energy with recycling, re-using energy and caring enough to challenge, let's remember that Christianity is an environmental faith. God created the world. He saw his creation and it was good.

Francis of Assisi, the 13th Century Monk and Mystic, loved the earth we live in and the God who made it. 

He has been dubbed as the patron saint of environmentalism. Many stories have been told of his encounters with animals and the earth itself.

For me Francis hit the spot when he understood himself as part of a fraternity or fellowship of creatures that inhabited the earth. He saw that the earth was a gift not to be abused. He loved animals as partners in creation. He found God in the created world.

Let's pray for our world right now with Francis in mind. How about these three ideas:

1. Why not take a moment to look at your global footprint. When do you drive when maybe you could walk? How much food do you think you throw away uneaten? Come up with some ideas for where you could make changes and dedicate them to God as prayer.
2. Make the effort to go out and experience your environment differently. Even if you just go once this week. Go for a walk somewhere local and try and see the world differently. Contemplate what might be different with global warming. Use the environment to focus and inspire you as you pray into it.
3. When was the last time you simply gave thanks to God for the world He gave us to live in? Today, try and think of 3 things to be thankful for about this wonderful world we find ourselves in.