The hot topic these days (no pun intended, although a funny one) is global warming. Of course, though it still has detractors from the Religious Right, the science surrounding global climate change has been deemed credible. The changes to the globe will leave no-one unaffected; however, the demographic that will be hardest hit, as with many things, will be the poor.

This is one of many clear statements from the latest IPCC report, as summarized by CNN:

The world faces increased hunger and water shortages in the poorest countries, massive floods and avalanches in Asia, and species extinction unless nations adapt to climate change and halt its progress, according to a report approved Friday by an international conference on global warming.

Rajendra Pachauri, the IPCC chairman, stated that the poorest in the world, including the poor in developed, prosperous nations will be most affected because of their inhibited ability to adapt to climate change.

This latest revelation provides people of faith with the opportunity to live out two charges from God simultaneously. By caring for the earth we will be concurrently caring for the poor. Conversely, this report solidifies the fact that by neglecting the environment we are neglecting humanity. No longer can the argument “its just a tree” or “its just a rock” be used, because the interconnectedness of the environment to all people is unavoidable.

As the earth goes, so goes humanity.

But there is hope.

It will take not only personal sacrifice and conservation, but more importantly it will take increased global cooperation from our government for the limitation of fossil fuels, and – as always – it will take money. Therefore, each of us must be involved in the political process more than ever in order to persuade the government to make global climate change a priority.

But it can be done—in the words of Stanford scientist Stephen Schneider, “we can fix this.”

We have nothing to lose by loving our enemies, and we have everything to gain.

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