El Niño's return brings with it the virtual certainty of record-breaking heatwaves, hosepipe bans, and hellishly uncomfortable weather.
But what makes this iteration of the cyclical weather pattern even more devastating, and harder to prepare for, is our continued planet-plundering – as if the Earth exists purely for our convenience, just as much a commodity as the fossil fuels we tear out of it. We're trying to alleviate the symptoms of climate change whilst continuing to feed the disease.
The biblical view of the created order is altogether different. Our world is to be cared for and maintained. Humans, meanwhile, are to restrain their ravenous appetite for consumption, through receiving a new heart with new desires, as we look forward to the consummation of all things, where creation's groans are no more and our weary Earth breathes the fresh air of new creation. God needs no Planet B.
In the meantime, as we prepare for El Niño, ordinary Christians can help others – especially those more vulnerable – withstand the weather. That could mean offering support with errands, checking in on those for whom the temperature is most dangerous, and being considerate with colleagues feeling the stress of overheating.
There's also much we can do to tread lightly on the Earth, from adjusting our diet to reducing our travel to amending our shopping habits.
For those of us in positions of authority, we can influence company energy policies, flight decisions, and even national initiatives.
And, more than that, we can pray for God's help in limiting our desire for more, instead saying yes to the sacrificial way of simple sustainable living.
Matt Jolley is Editor of Connecting with Culture at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
