Book Review - Weathering Climate Change
A Balanced Take on the Controversial Topic of Climate Change
I was excited to get an advanced copy of the new RTB Press book, Weathering Climate Change - A Fresh Approach by Hugh Ross. But I also began to read this book with a bit of trepidation. I was afraid, given the polarizing views on both sides of this issue, that this book will cause controversy and detract from RTB's primary mission of Science-Apologetics for the sake of evangelism. As it turns out, this book is both pointed and pragmatic. It will push your preconceptions whatever your perspective on the climate change challenges we face.
Hugh Ross is well qualified to provide a balanced perspective on this topic. This is fundamentally not just an issue for climatologists, but requires an interdisciplinary approach by someone who is both technical enough to understand the science and also wide-read enough to have a broad perspective on the interplay between the various disciplines and issues that are pertinent. The author gives such a balanced understanding of the problems and possible solutions on this contentious and complicated issue.
The book does a good job of separating the politics, emotions, and policy issues from the actual science. If anything, the book is heavy on the science details, though seemingly weighted more toward the standard scientific consensus of the data, with less discussion of possible objections by the minority of scientists who have some disagreements on various points. On balance, though, I felt like it gives a fair representation of the current best understanding of warming measurements and modeling. The conclusion is that, "yes", human activity has affected the climate since the industrial revolution, and the climate may be at (or close to) a tipping point where our current extended period of climate stability is at an end. He does make the point, however, that we still have to face "the inevitable onset of another glacial episode. We may be able to put it off for a few more centuries, perhaps even for a little more than a millennium, but we cannot extend our present interglacial indefinitely."
Where I think that Hugh Ross makes a distinctive contribution to this discussion, is in his fair and objective look at our responses to the climate crisis. He presents three categories of possible solutions: mitigate, adapt, and/or "defeat" (or live with it). He feels that the apocalyptic nature of some claims: global emergency, the need to awaken the public, or calls for immediate, drastic action, feed fear and don't promote rational discussion of solutions. Scientists' legitimate concerns communicated through journalists and politicians have polarized opinions, from panic and knee-jerk activism to disbelief and lack of trust in the claims.
Dr. Ross points out that self-interest of people and nations makes enforcement an intractable problem, because human nature is such that we want to look out for our own self-interests first and let others sacrifice. This is not surprising due to the dual reality of humanity: while we are created in God's image and can achieve great good, we are also broken by our selfish sinful nature, and we rebel against the good that God calls us to do.
He asks us to consider if there are Win-Win solutions. It seems to me that some win-wins mentioned would not be widely embraced, such as forced changes to diet, animal husbandry, or traditional farming methods. It seems unwise to trust that we can quickly replace our current energy needs by future technology, even if we dramatically increase research funding. Any solutions found through new research likely would not be ready until decades into the future. Hugh Ross presents some possible climate solutions with the objective of sparking creative thinking and collaboration, and to also "demonstrate that we need not choose between what is best for the environment and what is best for our economic well-being." Personally, I am skeptical that any of these proposed solutions can be implemented quickly enough, on a large enough scale, to make a significant dent in our climate change situation.
As in past books, Dr. Ross clearly makes the case that the Earth's environmental conditions have been fine-tuned for life. Many unique circumstances and features of the Earth, Moon, stellar environment, and more, lead to the suggestion that the whole system has been carefully designed and balanced for advanced human civilization during the current narrow window of time. He says, "The anthropic principle is the observation that the universe, Earth, and Earth’s life appear exquisitely and intentionally designed for humanity."
The middle section of the book is more technical, which might not be as accessible to the general public. However, the conclusions and summary questions bring focus at the end of each chapter. In general, the book is well-sourced and full of recent scientific data on the climate. Here Dr. Ross provides an in-depth explanation of the causes behind ice age cycles and other historical global climate changes. Again he shows that the current interglacial stability has provided the ideal environment for our modern civilization, designed and finely tuned by the Creator for that purpose. He suggests that the current period of extreme climate stability has given us the opportunity to reach billions of people with the Good News. That brings promise of true purpose and meaning to their lives, and hope for an even better future home awaiting in the new creation.
The book ends with a plea for collaboration and cooperation among all the diverse groups of humanity in finding win-win climatic solutions. In the meantime, it is the duty of those who choose to follow Christ to take an active role in caring for both people and the planet, so that we can maximize the time we have available to reach more people for Christ.