Christian response to climate change

Photo: Jim Loring/Tearfund

What does the Bible say about how Christians should respond to climate change?

The impacts of our energy-hungry lifestyles here are impacting people across the world through the changing climate – this is unjust. We should love our neighbours, pursue justice, care for creation and live sustainably.

• Loving our neighbours: Love does no harm to its neighbour (Romans 13:10). We need to recognise our connection with the poor who are suffering most from climate change. We should demonstrate our love and concern by praying for our neighbours who are impacted by climate change and taking action personally and politically to tackle the issues.
• Acting justly: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). It’s an injustice that the poorest communities suffer the most from climate change when they’ve contributed the least to the problem. We must pray and campaign for justice in a changing climate.
• Caring for creation: God created the world and all that is in it (Psalm 24:1). Throughout scripture we are reminded that God created the world for his purposes and we have responsibility to take care of it.
• Living sustainably: We should try to live in a way that does not destroy the beauty or resources of the earth for future generations, recognising that the earth belongs to and was created by God. We must recognise how our unsustainable consumption of the earth's resources is contributing to climate change and change our lifestyles in response.

'Climate change is, without doubt, the biggest environmental challenge facing our world – and as a Church we are called to act. Why? Because of love. God loves us and he expects a response of love firstly for him, but also for our neighbour and particularly for the poor, who are the ones most hit by damage to the environment. Christians should be at the forefront of the environmental movement because in our care for God’s creation we reflect our love for the Creator.'  Rev Nicky Gumble, Holy Trinity Brompton

This page was last updated on 08 December 2009