Climate change is negatively affecting Florida in several ways and is expected to have increasing negative effects over the next couple of decades. For example, statewide annual average temperatures have accelerated in recent decades, increasing at a higher rate than global temperatures. The number of extreme heat days is expected to rise by 40 in inland areas of the state. Extreme precipitation events have increased, causing substantial damage, and are expected to increase as a result of climate change.
State officials realize that the state will need to prepare for sea levels to rise by just under two feet by 2050. This will have detrimental impacts on coastal forests and estuaries, contaminate drinking water, and greatly increase flooding.
Recent polls show that over 90% of Floridians believe climate change is real. Yet Trump easily won Florida with over 56% of the vote. This doesn’t add up for me.
Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman, in a recent New York Times article, began with this observation: “The fight against climate change has taken a body blow with the election of Donald J. Trump, who calls global warming a ‘scam’ and has promised to erase federal efforts to reduce the pollution that is heating the planet.” Their conclusion is based in part on his promise to increase U.S. oil production beyond record levels.
During his first term in office, over 100 major environmental rules and regulations were repealed, and the U.S. withdrew from the 2015 Paris Climate Accord. What will happen next is unknown since truth is so hard to find within his hate-filled rhetoric.
Fortunately, there are economic reasons pushing back on Trump’s threat to end U.S. efforts to participate in fighting climate change, according to their article. Most importantly, Republican congressional districts have benefited from around 80 percent of the money spent so far from funds to promote renewable energy. And lawmakers and business leaders want to protect that investment and the jobs they bring.
Kyle Meyaard-Schaap writes this about the disconnect seen in our priorities in this week’s reading assignment from our companion book for this series, “The runaway warming of God’s creation is a potent, physical, and global manifestation of the sum total of all of this brokenness. Climate change is rapidly changing the basic operating system of the world, making it fundamentally more dangerous and unpredictable.”
Perhaps Floridians have the necessary resources to deal with the damage from climate change. However, they won’t be able to replace the loss of life from catastrophic weather events. And the cost of rebuilding is likely to skyrocket. Last year’s price for recovering from weather-related catastrophes nationwide exceeded $165 Billion. Our tax dollars supplement Florida’s recurring recoveries from the effects of climate change.
But climate change doesn’t just affect Florida. We’re all negatively affected, and it’s getting worse. Yet, the majority of voters see other priorities as more pressing. However, most of the world’s population disagrees with our priorities.
It’s estimated that nearly 80 percent of the world’s population, living relatively close to the equator, feel the greatest impact of climate change. Yet the vast majority of the world’s population collectively owns less than one-third of the world’s wealth. This means they have the least resources to find ways to adapt to a much more dangerous climate.
Since economic development and wealth accumulation over the past centuries were proportionate to the amount of fossil fuels consumed, those most affected by climate change contributed the least to causing the problem.
I continue to be dismayed by the priorities of Christians claiming to follow Christ while supporting candidates and policies inconsistent with biblical mandates.
Let me explain.
Luke tells a story about when Jesus returned to his hometown. The scene is the church in Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Nazareth was one of those small, rural towns located in the hills. A similar town in the U.S. would likely be red on a political map.
Jesus grew up in a working-class family as the son of Joseph, the carpenter. While Mary was his biological mother, Joseph adopted Jesus after Mary became pregnant and gave birth while the couple was engaged. This adoption was likely a not-so-well-kept secret among the hometown folks.
The story is told in chapter 4 of Luke. Jesus went to Nazareth on the Sabbath and went to the synagogue as usual. When He was asked to read the scriptures, He stood up and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Most people back then couldn’t read. But this hometown boy, Jesus, is handed a bible to read scripture during the church service. All eyes were on Him as the townsfolk listened to find out if this homeboy’s reading ability matched the rumors about His popularity as a healer and teacher.
Luke tells us Jesus unrolled the scroll and read where it is written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.”
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor…
Luke 4:18
The crowd was impressed. I imagine that His diction and pronunciation of the ancient text were flawless. It was like a book reading by a famous author, reading one of her favorite parts of her book to a grateful audience.
I like to imagine how the crowd reacted. I don’t know much about what actually happened. It’s easier for me to imagine a church like the one I grew up in and a Jesus more like a young person today, returning home, with her reputation preceding her arrival. You probably can imagine something similar. Perhaps a scene where a lady whispers in her husband’s ear, “I heard he graduated from some Ivy-league school.”
Many of us are intimidated by smart people rather than grateful for their gifts. Jesus wasn’t just smart; He was wise and full of divine insights into God’s priorities. This story reinforces God’s love and plans for the poor.
And I suspect that climate change is a much higher priority for Jesus than for most of us, both because of God’s love for creation and His priority in coming to the aid of the poor.
Luke tells us that after Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him. He told them, “This passage of scripture has come true today, as you heard it being read.”
Jesus fulfills God’s promise to reconcile all of creation. And His mission makes our priorities clear.
The author of our companion book says it this way, “if your ministry in the name of Jesus doesn’t result in actions that are good news for the poor, you’re doing it wrong. In a warming world, this means that if our proclamation of the gospel doesn’t result in actions that are good news for those suffering under the burden of an unequally changing climate—good news for those choking on pollution, losing precious farmland to rising seas, languishing under oppressive heatwaves, escaping deadly disaster and wasted homes only to run headlong into the arms of traffickers—then we, too, are doing it wrong.”
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A reminder that we publish this newsletter that we call the Circuit Rider each week. You can request this publication by email. Send a request to FlintAsburyUMC@gmail.com or let us know when you send a message through our website. We post an archive of past editions on our website under the tab Connect – choose Newsletters.
Pastor Tommy
Parts of our series are inspired by Kyle Meyaard-Schaap. Following Jesus in a Warming World: A Christian Call to Climate Action. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2023.
Florida Climate Center. “Climate Trends in Florida. © Florida State University, 2024. Retrieved from: link
Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman. “What Trump’s Victory Means for Climate Change.” © New York Times, November 7, 2024. Retrieved from: link