Biblical and constitutional arguments for environmental protection

Biblical Certain Biblical principles can be applied to every part of life. For example, the Sin/Crime distinction. What is deemed lawful in the United States regarding the environment can be viewed as sinful. For example, Numbers 35:33-34 states: You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the Lord dwell in the midst of the people of Israel (Carroll & Prickett, 2008). One can imagine when remember back to Genesis how Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. The land was pristine, and animals lived without worry of their habitats being destroyed or polluted. Adam and Eve existed in balance with nature. However, once Eve bit of the forbidden fruit and led Adam to sin, thus came an era of constant problems with balance and with how the land is used. One can see now that cars and reliance on oil and coal has created a toxic environment for humans. The bill, S. 1447: Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2017, aims to reauthorize the diesel emissions reduction program because diesel emissions have not lessened to a point where it doesn’t affect the atmosphere and breathing quality in urban areas (Carper, 2017). If the Bible and if God wants humanity to take care of the land and not destroy it, the various governments of the world must take heed and do what is necessary to accomplish this important aim.

Constitutional Jeremiah 2:7 states: “And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination” (Carroll & Prickett, 2008). Humans have defiled the land for a very long time, especially these last two centuries. Rather than work to help maintain the environment, the various governments and business have worked to extract as much from the earth as possible, disregarding the negative effect these actions have on the environment and humanity. If one looks at the 9th Amendment of the Constitution, it was made to protect rights not enumerated in the Constitution (Potter, 2010). Many people believe a right to clean air and water is a right and that the more businesses pollute the environment, the more the governments allow such behavior, the more that right is infringed upon (Monsma, 2008). It does not make sense that people should be allowed to destroy the environment. Deuteronomy 11:12 states: “A land that the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Carroll & Prickett, 2008). If people are not allowed to exercise their right to protect their environment and bills must be passed to ensure reduction of noxious pollutants and emissions, how then can the people of this planet fulfill the will of God to take care of the land? These are things to consider when examining current environmental protection trends, especially during the Trump Administration and their reduction in EPA regulations. “Today the environmental field is suffering from the temporary triumph of myth over truth,” she wrote. “The truth is there is NO war on coal, there is NO economic crisis caused by environmental protection, and climate change IS caused by man’s activities” (Grenoble, 2017).

Post #1 In an article about a new energy storage device, innovation has led to progress regarding energy. Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that can charge rapidly, delivering intense bursts of power. While supercapacitors sound promising, they currently use carbon-based components, requiring harsh chemical and high temperatures to make (Chandler, 2016). However, thanks to the work of MIT researchers, they have for the first-time developed supercapacitors that eliminate the need for carbon through the discovery of new materials. “Dinc? and his team have been exploring for years a class of materials called metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs, which are extremely porous, sponge-like structures” (Chandler, 2016). Such work can lead to a reduction in pollution as the process to make these supercapacitors does not require high temperatures or harsh chemicals. Such innovative practices are something that Bible has recognized. Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Carroll & Prickett, 2008). Humans are powerful and if humanity is created in God’s image, that means humanity inherits some of that boundless knowledge God has. This makes for wonderful and inspiring works like that seen with the MIT researchers, showing the ability of humans to problem-solve and create from virtually nothing.