Yikes. Yeah, we just went there. Opening a can of worms is never fun, but ignoring the greater discussion of issues like climate change does nobody any good. Talking about climate change is not easy because Christians stand so divided on the issue.
Some believe that it is our responsibility to invest in greener alternatives to energy and others believe that the science does not support that climate change is manmade. Regardless of your stance on the politics of climate change, one thing is for certain: it is our job to take care of the planet.

Is taking care of the planet biblical?

After God created the first people, he charged them with dominion over the Earth and overall its living creatures. This concept of dominion could be argued by some that the Lord intends for us to have control and does not mention anything about caring for or restoring the planet.
However, any time that the dominion or rulerhood of Christ is mentioned, it is mentioned in light of Christ’s eternal reign and the peace and justice for all that prevail under this dominion. If we are to be followers of Christ, shouldn’t our interpretation of dominion of the Earth reflect that of what Jesus’s would be?

A short illustration to help Christians understand their global responsibility

Imagine you have children who are old enough to be left home alone. You have to leave the house for some reason and you charge them with behaving themselves and taking care of the house and the dog.
How would you feel if you came back and the house was a wreck, the dog hasn’t been fed and your children are ignoring these issues and are instead watching a movie or playing a video game? You have to admit, you’d feel disappointed at the very least, if not outright angry. How do you think God feels about the way we treat our planet and its creatures?
If we are the children in this story, do you think God would come home and be proud of what we’ve accomplished or would he have a few words to say about our misbehavior?
Many claim that God is disappointed in mankind for one reason or another, but when it comes to stewardship of the planet, many Christians look the other way. “God wouldn’t let us destroy the planet,” many argue, but maybe that’s not the point.
Maybe the point is that you can believe this and still strive to make the world cleaner for its own sake and for the sake of its other creatures and your neighbors because this may be part of being a responsible steward. Would it be so wrong to do something like making the world a better place that Jesus would be proud of?