World Unyielding

The 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is happening now in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Otherwise known as COP28, what’s the main goal of this gathering? It’s all about taking action on climate change to prevent its worst impacts. The urgency is even more pressing due to the current effects of climate change and predictions of a challenging future. This urgency prompts a serious assessment of progress and a wave of resolutions to speed up climate action.

Introduced as the keynote speaker, António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, used Nepal as an example to illustrate the crisis. He expressed deep concern after hearing directly from local communities about the impact of glaciers melting at an unusually fast rate on their lives. Guterres emphasized that vulnerable mountain countries, such as Nepal, are facing a crisis not of their own making—with a third of Nepal’s ice disappearing in just over thirty years.

Who’s to blame for the increasing rate of ice melting and rising seas? Who’s responsible for the swollen lakes and rivers that cause floods? Where can we find the solution? Undoubtedly, a sense of humanity’s guilt and duty fuels this call to action — a call for more financial support and more responsive aid for developing countries by reforming modes of international development. Trust in the financial system, the international framework, and our collective efforts.

Dear reader, I trust you’ve noticed the philosophy that saturates this international approach. The spectre of global disaster looms, or so we’re told. I believe you can recognise the situation for what it is – unashamed humanism disguised in suits and ties. The preceding paragraphs illustrate the futile actions of a guilt-ridden people. This guilt permeates even the highest decision-makers. A person observes communities suffering and is rightly concerned, yet endeavours to solve the problem without grasping its full extent.

We live in a post-Christian culture. Whether society perceives it as better or worse, the God of the Bible has been removed from the picture. A void is left, and various things fill the gap. To add to this, we’re supposedly happier because of it. Really? ‘Our planet is on the brink of collapse.’ This statement was made by Greta Thunberg during the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit. She later declared, ‘we are not acting fast enough. We are not doing enough. And, most importantly, we are not telling the truth.’ No wonder despair and depression creep into lives. Faced with news of a fast-approaching global catastrophe and living in times when the reality of God is suppressed, why wouldn’t there be despair? The avoidance of an existential crisis lies within your hands. So, what are you going to do about it?

Consider the vastness and intricacy of our world. Within it, you can discern the undeniable reality of eternal power and divine nature. The predominant scientific hypothesis proposes that before the inception of the universe, commonly known as the Big Bang, the entire cosmos was condensed into an infinitesimally small bundle of energy and space-time referred to as a singularity. Yet, under these mysterious and extreme conditions, scientists speculate on the application of the known laws of physics.

They rightly assert that there was an infinitesimal source of energy. However, they stop short of attributing it to an omnipotent God. The Bible helps us out, explicitly stating, ‘the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.’ (Hebrews 11:3) Eternal power, found in a supreme and mysterious being, initiated the world. It is fitting to label this power as eternal because truly infinite power necessitates eternality. It does not fade, unlike the limited power we find in ourselves. Observe the decay and downward spiral of the world and realise that power is not intrinsic to nature. By definition, God is all-powerful and eternal. Will you acknowledge Him for His omnipotence?

God has revealed His existence universally through nature and exclusively through His word, which recounts that God established the earth to stand firm (Psalm 93:1; Psalm 96:10; Psalm 119:90; Jeremiah 33:2). Suppressing the truth concerning the existence, attributes, and work of God has rightly led to alarmism concerning the future of humanity. By refusing to honour God as He truly is, an exchange is guaranteed to take place – God for anything else. This exchange has occurred on a global scale and reached all spheres of human interaction.

Now, we return to the topic that prompted this article. On the global stage, courtesy of the United Nations, there is a promotion of trust in money, leaders, and the sheer willpower of humanity apart from God. In the context of climate change action, how has that turned out for us? Kind reader, please consider this carefully. Who are you putting your trust in? Global leaders have repeatedly failed to do what is considered the right thing. Whole countries fail to keep to agreements, unapologetically. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister has ruled out a deal to phase down fossil fuels, fiercely resisting 80 countries that desire a broader agreement to phase out fossil fuels.

Will there ever be total agreement? Can global leaders save us from a global catastrophe? God’s word sheds light on the matter, stating, ‘It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.’ (Psalm 118:8) No shelter from a coming catastrophe can be found in the decision-making of men in high places, nor women for that matter. If they decide to throw enough money at the issue, surely that’s enough, right? There’s power in money, right? As long as God is kept at a distance, that is the blueprint for disaster. ‘See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!’ (Psalm 52:7)

I write this with concern for the path that the world wholeheartedly pursues. I anticipate that the United Nations will be the subject of several more posts. It stands as a glaring failure of humanity in opposition to God. There is a moment of climate change that is unavoidable. There is a point of global warming that is irreversible for all eternity. God’s day will come when He burns up and dissolves the earth, and everything will be exposed (2 Peter 3:10-11). If you care to prepare for that day, I suggest that you stay posted.