In Genesis 1:28 it says, "And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
As Earth Day approaches, I believe that we need to take a balanced view of our planet and how we should dominate, subdue, and care for it. Sometimes it's easy to take the information we hear around us at face value and not consider where it's coming from. So today I'm offering you "the other side of the story" for popular environmental concerns courtesy of The Heartland Institute. I want to be careful to teach my children to appreciate and care for what God has blessed us with without giving them false or misleading information.
The general idea:
Common-Sense Environmentalism
"For people sincerely committed to the goals of a cleaner and safer environment, these are truly the best of times. The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are all safer than at any previous time in our lives. Wilderness areas in the United States are expanding, wildlife is flourishing, and once-endangered species have been saved.
We now know that prosperity, private property rights, and freedom from an overly intrusive government, all values that we share, need not be sacrificed to save the environment. We can have them all, but it requires a new approach to environmentalism that relies more on science and less on hype."
Recycling:
Mandatory Recycling Wastes Resources, Harms Environment
"Recycling is a productive part of the market system. Informed, voluntary recycling conserves resources. In sharp contrast, mandatory recycling wastes resources--and Seattle’s latest political action misleads the public into supporting such wastefulness."
Global Warming:
Global Warming Outlook Far from Alarming
"It would be nice if my colleagues would actually level with politicians about various “solutions” for climate change. The Kyoto Protocol, if fulfilled by every signatory, would reduce global warming by 0.07 degrees Celsius per half-century. That’s too small to measure, because the Earth’s temperature varies by more than that from year to year."
Polar Bears:
ESA Listing Not Needed for Polar Bears
"The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has written on the threats allegedly posed to polar bears from global warming. According to the WWF, there are approximately 22,000 polar bears in about 20 distinct populations worldwide. Only two bear populations--accounting for about 16.4 percent of the total number of bears--are decreasing, and they are in areas where air temperatures have actually fallen, such as the Baffin Bay region."
It's important to get both sides of the story in order to make informed decisions. For more information on environmental issues go to the Heartland Institute's Environment section.
1 comment:
You know, I've long thought that if people were as passionate about sin as we are "earth day" and all concerns environmental, the planet would have much fewer problems.
Good points dear :) I liked this!
We're using Earth day to this week to learn more about the core, mantle, crust, and make up of the earth in general. Not some liberal agenda! :) However I do think caring for our planet is key and our children need to learn how to have dominion over it as the Bible states.
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