Blog posts have to say the conclusion up front or you’ll move on quickly.  The main point here is that too much has changed in recent decades that all of the troubles humanity faces are getting beyond our abilities and resources to effectively respond.  Here is an UPDATE and even a link to a report on change. [Read the full article on the WindowView page on Climate for a Tribulation]

The POINT IS a present material dilemma soon leads to revisiting a spiritual question.  What is life?  How do we respond to mounting global woes?  Is change leading us to some kind of tribulation period?

The following account is an update of sorts.  WindowView.org could include hundreds of articles and commentaries on climate change, but in reality, just a little information comes to some basic conclusions.  You can go everywhere else to read all the rest.

Our MAIN CONCLUSION is, in the face of global changes, not just climate change, we as a human race face the biggest dilemma on a spiritual scale.  How we respond to change and respond to humanity in a time of need and trial, that’s the point.  How you respond is sustainable, even if life on the planet loses its sustainability over time.  Our responses will encounter psychological stresses and a growing cry to fix it, do something, reverse the damage, make the planet a safe place for life.

————–  CHANGE UPDATED   —————-

There are numerous sources documenting humanity’s impressions on climate change–some scientific and others not so.  In fact, we paused on writing a lot about climate change due to the multitude of science sources and numerous doubts expressed by non-data driven counterpoint groups.  Why?  Simply because a key WindowView conclusion is that the most vital element to change is not in the OMINOUS consequences but instead it is HOW humans will respond.  Part of that response is to one another and ultimately relates to a spiritual reality beyond our physical condition. What we believe matters a great deal!

From the believer’s perspective, all things work together to God’s will and purposes.  In that context we need to accept what ever changes are at play, globally, and then consider the broader and deeper implications. The ultimate reality comes down to the interface between events and the dilemma of finding faith in the midst of chaos and emotional responses.  THIS IS the point we are highlighting here.

Belief is not an emotional response if also based on well grounded truth.  Let’s consider some information related to immediate episodes of change and think how the human condition is confused before grasping well founded faith.

The Australian Climate Commission just released their publication entitled: THE CRITICAL DECADE Climate science, risks and responses.  As we recall elsewhere in WindowView, the Sigma Xi scientific society called the 90’s a critical decade for responses to global change–to no avail–humans sat on their hands.  At the start of the Aussy Climate Commission’s document they note the following:

“Climate science is now being debated outside of the normal discussion and debate that occurs within the peer-reviewed scientific literature in the normal course of research. It is being attacked in the media by many with no credentials in the field. The questioning of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the “climategate” incident based on hacked emails in the UK, and attempts to intimidate climate scientists have added to the confusion in the public about the veracity of climate science.”  [Get your own PDF copy of the 2011 report HERE]

So clearly we have a population that sees both evidence for and against validation of climate change. Ironically, within the WindowView, we see so much evidence for precipitous GLOBAL changes (the list is long and way beyond climatic parameters) just by what an ever enlarging human population does, and that regardless of any CLIMATE considerations. People are just blind to the obvious implications.  As long as the consequences are not yet local, denial is okay. Once the reality sets in by some kind of poverty under the superficial affluence, or outright bare bones impoverished state of just surviving, then the cries of the affected are glossed over. Are we hoping the consequences can be ignored long enough the effects will just go away.

In biblical terms, consequences bring a kind of self inflicted or unintended judgment.  But how does one “get the concept,” as intended here?  If one says dry conditions are due to drought driven by extreme episodes of local climate change, then dry ground and brush fires occur.  But is that all?  Might other consequences reveal a more histerical component that will drive people askew?

The Climate Commission notes:

“For example, there is little doubt that extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods have significant impacts on human health and well-being. The 2011 Queensland floods have led to long-term, mental health and related problems, such as depression, bereavement, post-traumatic stress disorders and other mood and anxiety disorders; and the 2009 Victorian bushfires also led to considerable psychological distress, some of it prolonged, to those who experienced the fires and survived (A.J. McMichael, personal communication). Such extreme weather events have occurred before the advent of human-induced climate change, and the degree to which climate change affects risks associated with extreme events is a very active area of research.”

As long as the consequences seem removed from you, the thoughts of what life really means can be put off. But tornadoes in the middle of the US (a record breaking 875 in April 2011 alone — see NOAA Report), earthquakes around the world ( as described here in another blog post here), fires in Australia, floods all over the globe, and other physical and climatic challenges ALL are pause for thought.  And not just survival now, but thoughts on the value of our lives, what existence is, and the eternal implications. There are in fact eternal implications. Life now, and at no other time, is your opportunity to embrace the greater reality … or just live in denial of the greater truth.

If you are interested, you can visit the Australian Climate Commission on the web and download the report, or again visit the WindowView link here to download the PDF.

————- REVISITING THE CONCLUSION ————-

There is a lot that is EMOTION driven about all the climate issues.  We know some reject the science because of personal beliefs.  But when changes occur, the emotions of the moment are in response to the ominous events.

The human response in the material moment should be to helping others get through the moment.  On the spiritual level, we need remember that our lives are temporal and the challenges we face may in fact help us to grow a deeply rooted faith.

Change brings tribulations.  The Bible speaks of a time of tribulations to come.  There may e some interplay between the biblical timeline and the global changes that create a human theater of sorts.  Will some god-like figure promise humanity a way out?  But there is no way out of the truth that our physical existence is only for a time.  The real God inure at the root of faith is one that supposes the temporal dilemmas we face in the present time.

The material thinkers will decry we must counter change to make the planet safe for life.  If you do a web search regarding the report cited here, you’ll see a lot of diverse reactions, but none bring into perspective the real reason for tribulations or finding solace in a greater biblical truth.

————  THE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS ———-

We say: Just remember, humans are at war, struggle over water rights, try to grow food to sustain the entire population, strive to achieve market success and expanding growth to build wealth, struggle politically, fall short of achieving peace, and fail to reach a harmonious and unified front to solve global problems.  We are a fractured family and species in peril. Global change is a growing matrix of complex issue!

They say a lot just about climate and you can read their summary points from the Australian report at the conclusion of our full article at Climate for a Tribulation (a WindowView page on Change).

Director,  WindowView.org