Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Solna, Sweden, speculate that an increase in global average temperature of 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit could cause heat waves that would boost hospitalizations for hyponatremia (insufficient amount of salt in the bloodstream to sustain proper body electrical function) by 6.3%, and warming of 3.6 degrees F would boost hospitalizations by 13.9%. "Without adaptive measures, this suggests that over the next decades rising global temperatures alone will … [Read more...]
The Only Question That Matters: Is It Correct?
Recently I had a conversation about scientific claims in a field I haven't mastered. We all find ourselves there once in a while. Whenever we speak outside of fields we know fairly well, the confidence with which we hold our convictions must drop. Because I don’t have much training in said disciplines, I haven’t thoroughly investigated the claims offered and nuances they imply, and I might very well be overlooking something. I can’t, by virtue of not having researched it much, have a … [Read more...]
Climate Change Contributes to Another Year of Record Crop Production in India
One of the largest agricultural countries in the world, India, expects its highest summer crop production for 2021–2022. This comes at a critical juncture when energy shortage crippled food production in China. The record numbers will play a critical role in maintaining global food security. The record harvest also challenges claims that climate change will reduce global crop production. For example, the Observer Research Foundation—an organization that is partnered by Apple, Bill … [Read more...]
How Should We Think about Air Pollution?
Email from a subscriber: I am a believer in Jesus Christ living in the state of Minnesota. I am contacting you because I have had great struggles in understanding how to steward creation for God’s glory and the good of others.The biggest thing I’ve been struggling with is air pollution. I’ve heard from various sources that our cars pollute and this pollution can cause cancer and other health issues, even death, especially with older cars (my wife and I own a 2005 Toyota Corolla). … [Read more...]
Climate as a Public Health Issue
Never let a crisis go to waste. The Biden Administration took that advice and, on the eve of Hurricane Ida, announced that the Department of Health and Human Services had created an office for climate change – the climate is now a public health issue. “The office aims to protect vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by pollution and climate-driven disasters, including drought and wildfires,” Secretary Xavier Becerra said. However, this new mechanism to enforce socialist-style … [Read more...]
The Ignorant World and What to Do About It
Guest column by Joakim Book A spectre is haunting the Western world – the spectre of a grossly mistaken understanding of the world. British kids have nightmares about the climate. Half of French respondents think it likely that climate change will cause “the extinction of the human race.” American teachers coddle students who have panic attacks when wildfires rage somewhere on the planet. Eco-anxiety has clearly gripped the Western world, but what’s worse is that most … [Read more...]
A Plea to My Evangelical Friends for Biden
October 20, 2020 by Dr. Peter Jones How should genuine Christians vote in the up-coming presidential election? Recently a group called “pro-life evangelicals for Biden” sought to answer that question. The group includes many prominent evangelical leaders whom I respect who believe “that a biblically shaped commitment to the sanctity of human life compels us to a consistent ethic of life that affirms the sanctity of human life from beginning to end.”[1] Essentially in using the … [Read more...]
“Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden” Commit Two Major Mistakes in Ethics
In my years as a seminary professor of ethics, I saw few things more sinister and devious than the seemingly innocuous statement, “a biblically shaped commitment to the sanctity of human life compels us to a consistent ethic of life that affirms the sanctity of human life from beginning to end.” That’s not because life isn’t sacred from beginning to end, but because those who use it do so consistently to hide a serious ethical confusion. Recently a group calling itself “Pro-Life Evangelicals … [Read more...]
Two Graphs of Air Pollution Trends in the United States
Pretty much self-explanatory: … [Read more...]
Ten Reasons to Take Coronavirus Seriously—While Speaking Graciously
Charles Horton, M.D., consults regularly for the Christian news magazine World. In the July 10 issue, he responded to someone who had challenged him to provide ten reasons to take the Coronavirus seriously. Here they are in brief. You can read his fuller discussion in the original article. 1. Case counts can rise quickly where they were previously low or had declined. 2. Supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) remains inadequate. 3. Use of PPE where available is often … [Read more...]
