Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? Complicated Science

Environmentalism seems to be the popular cause these days, and it is not a poor cause to fight. The commercials on TV in Los Angeles right now are showing American stars, whether athletes or actors, who have taken up the cause and have "gone green." Their dedication to the earth is admirable, but I wonder what theology or philosophy is guiding their decisions.

Genesis teaches us that God entrusted the earth to humans, and we are to be stewards of God's creation. God placed humans upon the earth and told them to care for and work in the garden (Gen 2:15), and he instructed Adam to name the animals (Gen 2:19-20). Those of us in the Western world live in a pattern of consumption instead of stewardship, but I doubt that many people disagree with that claim.

I have lost track of the number of times my Divinity School professors, classmates, and fellow church workers have named particular environmental or social evils. They are abundant: deforestation of Africa, North Carolina pork industry, nuclear weapons, fossil fuels, automobiles, television. Most recently it was the FMCSC superintendent who told the staff that the US could have powered the entire country through solar power with the amount of money that we have spent on the Iraq War, and using solar power would solve a lot of our issues. Setting aside all arguments for and against the war, this answer frustrated me by its simplicity. Thanks to friends, I knew enough science to know that solar power is a more complex issue, and I wonder if the other problems are also more complex.

Environmental issues are scientifically and ethically complex, and it takes the research and expertise of our brothers and sisters in the sciences to begin to reach solutions. This past weekend, I received the blessing of being taught by a friend at UC Berkeley. He told me how solar panels are constructed and that solar energy cannot produce the needed energy to create a new solar panel. He taught me that a solar panel takes as much energy to produce as it will put out during its entire "lifespan." Scientists continue to work to improve the efficiency of solar energy and may soon produce solar panels that produce more energy than they require to make; however, I also learned that there is a limit to the efficiency of chemical processes. At some point, scientists will have reached the maximum efficiency of that process. A car can only achieve a limited efficiency of miles per gallon. In his words, "saying 'let's go solar!' or 'let's put all our money into wind to solve all our problems' is too simple. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't try to improve energy sources; it does mean that we should have a firm grasp of feasibility and reality as we go about it." My world was complicated; these issues include the ratio of energy put into and produced by reactions, environmental impact, chemical compositions and reactions. Above all my friend taught me how much the church needs scientists.

Unfortunately, the modern church tended to cast away or blindly accept science. Far too many fundamentalists and evangelicals viewed science as an enemy to be fought; science "destroyed faith" and "contradicted scripture." The gospel "required" that they reject science in favor of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, far too many mainline protestants looked at only the popular science presented in the media or accepted science at the expense of Biblical Christianity. They viewed science as true and cast away 1800 years of church tradition. Both sides failed to truly understand the science. We cannot solve the problems of our environment without actually understanding the causes. Solar power sounds wonderful before you know how much energy from fossil fuels it requires to make the panels. A first step is reducing our energy consumption, not changing energy forms. Recycling paper is a necessity before you learn that it takes huge amounts of resources to recycle an object that is both biodegradable and easily reproducible. It should be reused but not recycled. Recycling cans may be optional until you learn how much more energy efficient and environmentally friendly it is; aluminum should always be recycled to reduce our need to extract more. These problems are complicated, and faithful responses require an understanding of the science involved. The popular solutions may not be the correct solutions, and our lack of scientific knowledge may result in our creation of different problems instead of our solution of existing ones.

Our pastors spend years in school before they are ordained, and there are good reasons for doing so. They have to indwell the tradition before they can teach it. They will have to preach on 66 books of Scripture, teach church history and theology, and shepherd people in Christian discipleship. There is a wealth of information that pastors learn in school, and the same is true of those in the sciences. These men and women spend years in classes and research to learn their traditions, and they have a wealth of information to teach the church. Christians are to be stewards of the earth, but we need science to tell us how our lifestyles affect the planet. We need science to help us find solutions.

How can the church join with the scientific community to be faithful stewards of the earth? Be willing to listen. Invite the local scientists into the church as members of your community. Sit in Bible studies and discipleship groups with them, and learn together how to faithfully follow Christ. Have conversations with these men and women and learn the science behind the headlines. Choose to keep expanding your knowledge and be a life-long learner. In between the novels and theology books, pick up a chemistry textbook, or a biology, math, or computer science book. Learn the introductory basics, so you can engage scientific journals. Then visit your local college library and read the journals. At first you may only understand small parts of the articles, but as you read more, you will understand more. As stewards of the earth who understand the problems and solutions, the church will be equipped to come up with creative ways to live faithfully and to take care of God's creation.

*Many thanks to my friends in the sciences who patiently endure my lack on knowledge and understanding but who remain willing to engage in conversations with me.