Warming at both ends.


The crisis in Ukraine is serious, but the climate crisis is at least as serious for the long-term survival of life on this planet. The news on the climate front is not good. Right now the earth is warming at both ends.

"Startling heatwaves at both of Earth’s poles are causing alarm among climate scientists, who have warned the “unprecedented” events could signal faster and abrupt climate breakdown." (Harvey, Guardian, 20 March 2022)  (LINK)

The concern is that this "unprecedented" double warming could lead to even more dramatic changes that are virtually irreversible in our lifetimes. The risk of an attack by a foreign tank army is easy to understand because it is physical, and has historical precedent, and can be seen in movies or in photographs in leading newspapers. The risks of climate change are virtually invisible,  except in the form of its consequences: flash floods or violent storms. Climate change kills by causing intolerable temperature rises that directly affect people and animals and undersea  creatures. Climate change  directly causes droughts and crop failures. A tank attack on a neighbouring country is hard to ignore, while climate changes are hard to see except over time, but time is running out. 

It is important not to ignore this crisis even at the time of other crises. We must stop climate change in order to protect God's creation. 

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