All of these steps are easy to take and can help protect the Earth. Developing renewable energy sources is also an important step Christians should take regarding preserving the environment.
The commercial energy consumption, in the United States alone, in 2006, was 1,994,876 kilotons of oil equivalent. The most disturbing part of that figure is that only 8.41% of that energy came from renewable electricity production ("Energy"). Investment in research and development for technology to efficiently harness renewable energy sources is critical. In addition to investment in new technology, large energy consuming countries, such as the United States, need to take advantage of current technology to utilize renewable energy sources -- like wind.
In 2004, the United States generated 6,740 MW of power with wind turbines. However, other, smaller countries have taken greater advantage of this inexpensive, clean, renewable source of power. Germany produced 16,629 MW of power with wind turbines. Even Spain generated more wind power than the United States with 8,263 MW in 2004. Other large energy consuming countries like the United Kingdom, Japan, and China have produced very little power through wind. The United Kingdom only produced 888 MW of power in all of 2004. Japan produced a disappointing 874 MW. China produced a paltry 764 MW of power using wind, about a third of what was produced in California alone ("Wind Industry").
There is something virtually every Christian can do to help preserve and protect the Earth's environment. Whether it is unplugging unused appliances or turning down the thermostat in the winter, small changes made by everyone would result in a huge reduction in resource consumption. Nations and organizations too have their...
Investment in renewable energy sources is a must if the Earth is to recover from the damage it has already suffered. Although there is
debate whether the effects of
global warming are as severe as some have stated in the past, the reality is God charged Man with taking care of the planet. To date, Man has not done a very good job being good stewards. Increasing CO2 emissions and the increasing climatological disaster events that are due to the negative effects man's misuse has had on the
environment and
climate are just some of the signs that something needs to be done. A good Christian will take immediate action to reduce their use of resources and invest in renewable energy sources. "For everything created by God is good..." (1 Tim 4:4) and it is Man's
duty to ensure it stays that way.
Works Cited
Air Pollution.
United Nations, Oct. 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/ODS_Consumption.htm.
Climatological Disasters. United Nations, Oct. 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/Climatological_disasters.htm.
Energy. United Nations. Sept. 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/Energy.htm.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions. United Nations, Aug. 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/air_co2_emissions.htm.
The Holy Bible King James Version. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004. Print.
Wind Industry Statistics. American Wind Energy Association, 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2009 http://www.awea.org/faq/wwt_statistics.html.
