Global warming calls for a Baptist response

Posted: 2/07/07

Global warming calls for a Baptist response

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

AUSTIN—In the wake of an international report indicating humans very likely have caused global warming, Christian Life Commission Director Suzii Paynter called for Texas Baptists to lobby elected officials to rethink 18 proposed coal-fired power plants that would dump tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually.

Scientists who subscribe to the concept of global warming believe industrial gases released into the atmosphere create hotter days, heat waves, droughts and stronger and more frequent hurricanes.

Christians have a responsibility to care for the environment, Paynter insisted. This includes examining the impact they are having on the earth through pollutants and waste.

The need is especially acute in Texas, where power plants produce more pollution than in any other state in the nation, she said. Pollutants are causing an increased rate of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in children.

And Texas air could become more polluted in the near future, she added. Gov. Rick Perry is attempting to fast-track 18 proposed coal-fired power plants in the state, which annually would dump an additional 78 million tons of carbon dioxide—the primary cause of global warming—into the atmosphere. That is more than double the carbon dioxide TXU currently emits.

More than 1.5 million children live within 30 miles of a power plant, where the greatest health impact is felt. Power plant emissions also have been linked to increased heart attacks, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and death.

While more power is needed, Paynter insists Texas also must protect its environment and its citizens. The proposed plants can use cleaner-burning processes that would not have such a dramatic impact on residents around them.

The Christian Life Commission is urging churches to contact elected officials and ask them to slow down the process so the issue can be thoroughly studied and the best solution can be found.

“Christ calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves and to serve the least of these,” Paynter said. “We must protect our children, the elderly and God’s creation by encouraging our leaders to choose cleaner power sources and a more economically sound path.”

Power plants and global warming are garnering media attention, but Texas Baptists should be concerned about other aspects of their environmental stewardship as well, she added.

Churches can be environmentally conscious and serve as a role model for the community as well by taking steps to avoid creating excess waste and becoming energy efficient. This can be as simple as changing the type of light bulbs a congregation uses to recycling church bulletins.

By taking steps like these, Paynter believes Texas Baptists would be continuing a long line of Christians caring for the environment.

“God has given us the earth as a part of his gift of creation,” she said. “When we are in his world, when we are near the things he has created, we are then connecting ourselves with a deep heritage of honoring God’s creation.”

For more information about environmental issues, visit www.bgct.org/clc or call (888) 244-9400.