COP26, meeting in Glasgow between 31 October and 12 November, has been described as: "The most important meeting in human history."
That is quite a claim and one that some Christians might find difficult to accept. We could, no doubt, rapidly think of some other meetings that have importance that goes beyond the timescale of human history and resonate for eternity.
However, even allowing for this large caveat, I am increasingly thinking that there is some justification in this claim. It is not hyperbole. We really do seem to be at a pivot point in history and, as a Christian historian, I feel it very strongly.
At the Youth COP and Pre COP26, held in Milan on 1 October, 50,000 young people joined the 'Fridays for Future school strike.' I was struck by one of the placards held up there. It read: "The world is waking up and change is coming...Whether you like it or not!" It might also have added: 'Whether it fits your theological position or not!'
UK Prime Minister Johnson has stated that, "Securing a brighter future for our children and future generations requires countries to take urgent action at home and abroad to turn the tide on climate change."
He also stated that this requires "ambition, courage and collaboration." Whatever one's opinion is of the government's green credentials, this statement concerning the seriousness of the situation seems incontestable.
Defending the environment cannot be left to the environmentalists
What do I mean by this? Certainly, I intend no disrespect to environmentalists; far from it. What I mean is that this never was an issue that only concerned those whose particular interest is environmentalism, climatology and sustainability. This really affects everyone, whether we like it or not. It has gone way beyond whether, as individuals, we choose to recycle things, preserve endangered animals, or protect the environment.
This is no longer an area of 'choice.' It is no longer a 'special interest' issue. It is no longer 'niche.' It never was. But, if we ever deluded ourselves it was, that luxury no longer exists. It doesn't matter what you think about Greta Thunberg (and personally I greatly admire her sheer guts and determination), this issue is not going to go away and its implications are difficult to exaggerate.
I am no expert on climate or the environment, but I do know something about the political and cultural impact of environmental change and it is this that I am particularly, and acutely, aware of. As I have reflected on that, I have realised that this crisis goes far beyond species loss, severe weather, heatwaves and agricultural issues. These are serious enough, in their own right, but the social and political impact is becoming increasingly clear. And this should resonate with everyone because we are beginning to see this political turbulence begin to play out around us.
As a historian with a rather eclectic set of historical interests, I have been increasingly struck by parallels with previous periods of history when environmental change, political instability, international turbulence, conflict, epidemiology and the movements of people combined to cause what has been described as 'system collapse.' The set of events now often described as the 'völkerwanderung' (migration of peoples) that accompanied – and arguably led to – the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries AD spring alarmingly to mind. And, to those who now like to feel rather insulated from some of the migration issues besetting the current European continent, due to the presence of the English Channel, there is a salutary warning that the turbulence which wracked the continent at the fall of the Roman Empire brought the house down here too! It just took a little longer, that's all.
The combination of factors that now exist make those that brought down the Roman Empire look tame. We face potential turbulence on steroids. The narrow width of the English Channel is no long-term insulator from the chaos that unchecked climate change will cause to communities. Brexit and Border Force will not hold back the migration crisis that climate change is already setting in motion. Put not your trust in these!
This really is an 'all-hands-on deck' moment
Way back in March 2019 (and doesn't that seem an age away now?), Sherri Goodman, Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center and a former US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Environmental Security, described climate change as a threat multiplier. Talking to 'The Airbel Impact Lab,' the research and innovation arm of the International Rescue Committee, she explained that: "It amplifies and increases many of the threats that we face around the world today, from terrorism to instability [and] political strife."
She went on to outline how climate change is already driving political conflict and population movements. Many of us will not have identified an environmental factor as one of the triggers of the crisis that engulfed Syria, displaced vast numbers – and prompted extreme political reactions to anxieties about migration across the European continent, and can be seen as a contributory factor behind issues as varied as the rise of the far right, border-anxieties, and Brexit. Drought there, forcing people into ever more congested urban areas, was, she argued, a factor which fostered increased political instability.
She went on to say: "Climate change is too important to leave just to the environmentalists...It's a whole-of-society issue and we need an all-hands-on-deck approach." She is not alone in such an assessment.
It is less than two weeks since reports from US intelligence agencies, the White House and the US Defense Department, concluded that climate change poses a threat to national security due to its potential to trigger instability and conflict in developing countries. It warned that: "Intensifying physical effects will exacerbate geopolitical flashpoints."
This report, termed the 'National Intelligence Estimate,' named 11 countries most at risk: Afghanistan, Myanmar, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia and Iraq. In addition, it pointed to the growing threat of instability in Central Africa and the Middle East (which faces acute threats from extreme heat and drought).
It identified the real likelihood of national conflicts over resources (including water) and mass migration events. It even raised concerns about how migrant movement could be encouraged by Russia, China, and other 'adversaries,' in order to "cause greater instability among US allies/partners and thereby cause a relative strengthening in adversary states." It specifically referred to the "destabilizing effects of large-scale migration to the EU, particularly as it relates to the rise of xenophobia and political parties sceptical of the European project and the broader liberal order."
Climate change is in the mix when it comes to political instability. Engaging with this is a biblically imperative. This is because of our Christian commitment to justice and is also rooted in the way God relates to his creation.
Rediscovering the 'Noah Covenant'
As Christians we are familiar with the idea of 'Covenant Theology.' This is the idea that God chooses to enter into relationship with people; the terms of the relationship being set down by God. The ones we usually focus on are the covenants with Adam, Abraham, Moses, David and, of course, the 'New Covenant' that is established through Jesus.
One we often overlook is the, so called, 'Noahic Covenant' with Noah. It includes the words: "I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you" (Genesis 9:9-10, NRSV). This is then repeated, in various forms, no less than four times. One of these includes the phrase "the covenant between me [God] and the earth" (verse 13).
This is too often overlooked. Or we focus on the subject of human lordship over creation (which is certainly present in this covenant) and marginalise the fact that God is in direct loving covenant relationship with his creation. This relationship is not mediated through human beings; it is a direct relationship between God and "the earth."
I strongly feel that we need to rediscover that perspective. It insists that human lordship over creation is with a created order that, itself, has a direct covenant relationship with God. We might paraphrase and develop this as: 'I give you lordship over creation but don't trash it because it also stands in direct covenant relationship with me!' That is a sobering thought and verse 13 is worth repeating: "the covenant between me [God] and the earth."
Where does this leave eschatology?
For many Christians the extreme claims made about the current climate crisis jar with their beliefs about the 'end times.' In short, there can appear to be a clash between eschatology and environmentalism. This apparent contradiction has caused some believers to be slow to respond to the crisis that is accelerating across the planet.
This last month my latest book – an exploration of 2,000 years of Christian end-times beliefs – has been published. One of the things that I found most disturbing in some current end-times teaching is passivity in the face of global challenges. This thinking often runs along the lines of: 'The Second Coming of Jesus is imminent, so we don't need to worry about things like climate change and the future of the planet. It has no future.'
To this I would answer as follows. Firstly, this might not be the end times. For 2,000 years Christians have confidently identified their age as the final one and they were wrong. Jesus specifically told us, when asked about this: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority" (Acts 1:7). Secondly, if it is the end times we shall still be held to account for how we behave within it. God has expectations of his people. The crucifixion of Jesus was foreknown by God and inevitable, but people were still held to account regarding their role within it.
Eschatology is not a theology of inaction. It means that we can face the future with confidence because, whatever occurs, it is in God's hands. But we are still committed to action to live as God's people within the creation that also stands in covenant relationship with him. We are called to action. As one 17th century Puritan memorably put it: "I am convinced that the work of God will go on. But I am not of a mind that I should stand and watch with my hands in my pockets!"
Martyn Whittock is an evangelical and a Licensed Lay Minister in the Church of England. As an historian and author, or co-author, of fifty-three books, his work covers a wide range of historical and theological themes. In addition, as a commentator and columnist, he has written for a number of print and online news platforms; has been interviewed on radio shows exploring the interaction of faith and politics; and appeared on Sky News discussing political events in the USA. His most recent books include: Trump and the Puritans (2020), The Secret History of Soviet Russia's Police State (2020), Daughters of Eve (2021) and Jesus the Unauthorized Biography (2021). The recently-published exploration of 2000 years of end-times thinking is: The End Times, Again? (2021).
