Christians Using Science Badly: Part 2 :: By Wilfred Hahn
Reviewing the “facts” that we cited in Part 1, we noted the hyperbole and downright dishonesty in some instances to support global warming claims. Why is there such bias?
Money Precedes Truth
Global warming has become big business. Armies of global consultants are peddling false information because it is profitable to do so. Many claimed urgencies are exaggerated by factors of 10X … indeed, 200X in some instances and more. Governments are particularly susceptible to this hype, promising infrastructure programs estimated to cost upwards of trillions of dollars.
According to a new report,1 an estimated $3.4 trillion will be invested in renewable energy during the next decade, including $2.72 trillion in wind and solar. By 2030, 54.1% of installed capacity will be renewable (including hydropower), and 37.9% will be a combination of solar and wind.
This is big business. As such, the dog will not easily give up his bone.
In recent decades, much corruption has come to the surface in the field of science. Scientists do work under many pressures. For example, they must continue to attract funding for their research projects. Moreover, the field of science is very competitive.
We must give credit to the many scholars who do strive for valid and honest conclusions in their research. However, it must be admitted that people wearing white frocks are no more virtuous than anyone else. They are just as subject to the temptations of greed and ambition.
Out of Doom: Is Good News Possible?
To this point, our focus has been on alarmism and the predictions of certain doom for earth. To be balanced, however, we should at least briefly identify some offsetting positives. We list six such trends—out of many more that we could cite. (Again, page references to Dr. Koonin’s observations are shown in parenthesis.)
Good News #1: “[…] Since 1961 […] the per capita supply of vegetable oils and meat has more than doubled, and the supply of food calories per capita has increased by about one-third” (p. 172).
Good News #2: “[…] Deaths due to famine have averaged about two to four per 100,000 since 1980; the rate was ten to twenty times larger in the first half of the twentieth century” (p. 172).
Good News #3: “[…] In the fifty years from 1961 to 2011, global yields of wheat, rice, and maize (corn) have each more than doubled, and US corn yields have more than tripled” (p. 173).
Good News #4: “[…] The increasing concentration of carbon dioxide has been a significant factor in yield improvements, as it boosts the rate of photosynthesis and alters plant physiology to use water more efficiently” (p. 173).
Good News #5: According to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), “weather-related death rates fell dramatically during the past one hundred years as the globe warmed 1.2° C (2.2° F); they’re about 80 times less frequent today than they were a century ago” (p. 169).
Good News #6: “Increasing CO2 [carbon dioxide] in the atmosphere had also fertilized the natural world […] during the past four decades; the Leaf Area Index (the fractional area [of earth] covered by leaves) observed by satellites has increased markedly (‘greened’) over 25-50 percent of the vegetated areas of [the] globe, while it has decreased (‘browned’) over less than 4 percent of the globe” (pp. 173-174).
Reviewing the above-cited “good news,” readers will agree that conditions today are not as bad as they may seem. That’s not to say that the world is problem-free.
Interpreting & Fitting Eschatological Facts
In Part 1, we first castigated Christians for misappropriating prophetic “signs of the times” (occurrences mentioned in the Bible but misinterpreted or chronologically misplaced), though there is no biblical evidence at all.
To illustrate, earthquakes are a biblically legitimate end-time trend but misplaced chronologically.
Earthquakes are indeed mentioned in the Bible, with prophetic applications of several kinds. The most well-known reference is found in the Olivet Discourse. All three accounts of the Olivet Discourse or portions thereof (found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21) confirm the future occurrence of earthquakes.
The Olivet prophecies mention other end-time phenomena occurring besides earthquakes. When the disciples asked Christ, “When shall these things be?” He said the following: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8, KJV).
Definitely, the Bible states that an increase in the frequency of earthquakes yet lies ahead for the world. Actually, there are two distinct groups of earthquakes that are yet to occur. First, there is the heightened earthquake activity that unfolds in the first half of the Tribulation period … namely, the time before the “beginning of sorrows,” but after “the end” has started. This contrasts with the trends before “the end is not yet” … which, for example, applies to increasing rumors.
The second period of earthquakes is comprised of five separate occurrences that are mentioned in the Book of Revelation. All of these follow the fifth seal, therefore falling into the Great Tribulation period (namely, the latter 42 months of the 7-year Tribulation). Among this latter group, the biggest earthquake of all time is mentioned (see Revelation 16:18).
Despite this being very clear, some prophecy interpreters insist that an increase in earthquakes is already occurring today. This cannot be, as Christ’s statement places the surge in earthquakes in the first half of the Tribulation. (There are intense debates about this topic.) Many overlook Scripture on this point and make their case on evidence of rising earthquake activity today. However, the facts say no.
The U.S. Geological Survey provides information on earthquake activity worldwide.2 As we had noted in earlier examinations of its data, the frequency of large earthquakes is not increasing today. No statistically valid case can be made to support the conclusion that the number of big earthquakes is rising … yet.
Hot Winds?
Returning to our examination of the “global warming” trend today, the penultimate question that begs an answer is this: Are human beings causing climate changes … and do any of these changes lead to “global warming” or other related manifestations? The honest answer from scientists must be this: Nobody knows for sure.
Christians must be similarly careful in their debates with “climate change” advocates. For one, we should be sure of our facts and Scripture. An example is this statement by Dr. Koonin: “Without a doubt, carbon emissions are indeed rising [carbon dioxide and methane mainly] and continue to do so. This cannot be denied.”
Many Christian opponents simply choose to deny this fact … unnecessarily losing credibility. Yet the great debate remains: Do these emissions, which are floating around in the earth’s atmosphere, actually contribute to “global warming”? As mentioned, no one has a sure answer. The facts are inconclusive.
But these facts we can know: There indeed are trends that, if they should continue another 100 years or more, would be disconcerting. Yet, it is also obvious that global warming predictions have been shamelessly exaggerated.
For the time being, there is no global warming crisis.
The second fact we can know with certainty is this: The potential for the earth’s destruction due to climate changes was apparently not deemed important enough to merit a place in the body of Bible prophecy.
Thus, is it logical for the entire world to be moribund with fear about a development that was not first told to the prophets? “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
Thoughts to Ponder
Can it really be that the multiplicity of stakeholders in climate matters—scientists, scientific institutions, activists and NGOs, the media, politicians—are all contributing to misinformation in the matter of climate change? Yes, this is clearly possible.
To say otherwise assumes that one can present a case that mankind caused “global warming.” As the case may be, secular scientists to date have not been able to prove that just such a relationship exists. Yes, emissions continue to rise (as already mentioned), and the earth has warmed a very modest amount over the last century. But no linkages to warming can be proven.
What, then, does the Bible say about global warming? This writer believes the answer is “nothing,” simply for the reason that it is not mentioned in the Bible.
Many prophecy teachers have mistakenly become caught up in “global warming” exaggerations and untruths. They attribute what they see as “climate change” to be an end-time development. This is wrong …. in fact, twice over. First, they, in effect, agree with the contrived allegations and conclusions of “extremist” global warming advocates. Second, they incorrectly identify “signs of the times” and force them into their own alarmist and prophetic timelines. And, practically, if it were not for the effects of higher emissions of CO2 over the past decades, just how many more people would have died from famines due to lower crop yields?
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Wilfred J. Hahn is a global economist/strategist. Formerly a top-ranked global analyst, research director for a major Wall Street investment bank, and head of Canada’s largest global investment operation, his writings focus on the endtime roles of money, economics and globalization. He has been quoted around the world and his writings reproduced in numerous other publications and languages. His 2002 book The Endtime Money Snare: How to live free accurately anticipated and prepared its readers for the Global Financial Crisis. A following book, Global Financial Apocalypse Prophesied: Preserving true riches in an age of deception and trouble, looks further into the prophetic future.
Contact Wilfred at: staff@eternalvalue.com
1 Frost & Sullivan, “Growth Opportunities from Decarbonization in the Global Power Market,” 2019—2030
2 https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/earthquakes