Leading scientist optimistic

People often say I am wasting my time talking about environmental sustainability. 'The world,' they say 'will never agree to take the necessary action.' I reply that I am optimistic. One reason I give is that I believe that God is committed to his creation and that we have a God-given task of being good stewards of creation. We therefore have a responsibility first to God to look after creation – not as we please but as God requires – and secondly to the rest of creation as ones who stand in the place of God (Genesis 1.26,28;2.15).

We are only too aware of the strong temptations we experience, both personally and nationally, to use the world's resources to gratify our own selfishness and greed. The disasters we find in the environment speak eloquently of the consequences of a broken relationship with God (Genesis 3).

We, in the developed countries, have already benefited over many generations from abundant fossil-fuel energy. The demands on our stewardship take on a special poignancy as we realise that the adverse impacts of climate change will fall disproportionately on poorer nations and will tend to exacerbate the increasingly large divide between rich and poor. Our failure to be good stewards is a failure to love God and a failure to love our neighbours, especially our poorer neighbours in Africa and Asia. Some Christians tend to hide behind an Earth that they think has no future. But Jesus has promised to return to Earth, to redeem and transform it (see N.T. Wright, New Heavens, New Earth, Cambridge Grove booklets,1999). In the meantime, Earth awaits, subject to frustration, that final redemption (Romans 8.20-22). Our task is to obey the clear injunction of Jesus to be responsible and just stewards until his return (Luke 12.41-48). Exercising this role provides an important part of our fulfilment as humans.


Sir John Houghton was formerly Chief Executive of the Meteorological Office and co-chair of the scientific assessment working group of the Interdepartmental Panel on Climate Change. First published in The Bible in Transmission by The Bible Society this summer.

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