{"id":526,"date":"2010-07-26T08:26:14","date_gmt":"2010-07-26T14:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raincitypastor.wordpress.com\/?p=526"},"modified":"2010-07-26T08:26:14","modified_gmt":"2010-07-26T14:26:14","slug":"hot-times-arent-ahead-theyre-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/richarddahlstrom\/2010\/07\/26\/hot-times-arent-ahead-theyre-here\/","title":{"rendered":"Hot Times aren’t ahead – they’re here."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

can you spot a trend? <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Did you know that in 1940, our food system produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil fuel it consumed? \u00a0Now it takes ten calories of fossil energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food. \u00a0We need to change the way we do things. \u00a0 Ah\u2026but I\u2019m getting ahead of myself.<\/p>\n

Two weeks ago my wife and I visited a friend in DC who knows the area. \u00a0She\u2019d recommended a burger place near Capitol Hill and we met her there for one of the best burgers, and surely the best fries, ever (Thyme on fries! \u00a0Who knew?). \u00a0Good places are popular though, and so we stood in a line that stretched out the door, for over half-an hour. \u00a0By the time we entered the building we were drenched in sweat. \u00a0It wouldn\u2019t be the last time during our 10 days back east.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t offer this little anecdote because it proves that the earth is getting warmer. \u00a0Single days, or single summers mean nothing, just like single snowstorms in the dead of winter aren\u2019t indicative of trends, just like a batter\u2019s single game performance is meaningless. \u00a0We\u2019re looking for bigger trends (in spite of Senator construction of an igloo <\/a>in February to show America how cold things are getting).<\/p>\n

The trend lines are pretty clear. \u00a0Things are heating up. \u00a0I wonder if congress would have passed real energy legislation last week if the air conditioners were turned off in the senate buildings? \u00a0Nope. \u00a0Here\u2019s the problem, as stated in the New York Times<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026But taxing carbon has never had much of a political chance. It\u2019s too honest. It acknowledges that the best way to reduce the use of a product is to increase its price. We would all prefer a free lunch.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

If every drop of oil cost more, we\u2019d use less. \u00a0If we used less, there\u2019d be fewer greenhouse gases. \u00a0Fewer greenhouse gasses means less warming, less dependence on foreign oil, an opportunity for building a new energy infrastructure, which means real, long term employment, and so much more. \u00a0How hard can this be?<\/p>\n

Hard enough, it appears. \u00a0So it will be business as usual into the foreseeable future. \u00a0Expect more severe storms, longer and hotter summers, more oil wars, more carbon in the air, more deforestation, more drought, more water wars\u2026all so we can enjoy cheap oil and coal for another few years.<\/p>\n

I see some trends here: A congress with an addiction to spending and an exploding national debt and consumers addicted to spending and credit card debt; an inability for congress to pass substantive climate legislation and an unwillingness for American consumers to simplify. \u00a0Apparently, we get the kind of leadership we deserve.<\/p>\n

What to do? \u00a0Systemic changes are needed, but whether or not they happen, we who are Christ followers should offer an alternative. \u00a0We are, after all, charged with stewardship of the earth, until Christ returns (which, as I reminded my congregation yesterday, will happen \u201cin a little while\u201d<\/a>, which means somewhere between tomorrow, and hundreds of millenia from now).<\/p>\n

Until that return, I\u2019d suggest that the church\u2019s light might shine with greater clarity if we wrestle, both individually and collectively, with what it means to steward the earth. \u00a0I\u2019d suggest Bill McKibben\u2019s \u201cEaarth\u201d<\/a> as a good starting point. \u00a0We need more than knowledge though, we need practices that will actually reduce our carbon footprint and challenge others to do the same. \u00a0Public Transportation? Bike? Insulation? Sweaters in winter? Walking?<\/p>\n

Finding a way to reduce the footprint is part of our calling. \u00a0And these days, just doing that will speak volumes while the nations leaders seem paralyzed to do anything at all.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Did you know that in 1940, our food system produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil fuel it consumed? \u00a0Now it takes ten calories of fossil energy to produce a single calorie of modern supermarket food. \u00a0We need to change the way we do things. \u00a0 Ah\u2026but I\u2019m getting ahead of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creation","category-justice"],"yoast_head":"\nHot Times aren't ahead - they're here.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Did you know that in 1940, our food system produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil fuel it consumed? \u00a0Now it takes ten calories\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/richarddahlstrom\/2010\/07\/26\/hot-times-arent-ahead-theyre-here\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hot Times aren't ahead - they're here.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know that in 1940, our food system produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil fuel it consumed? 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