Reaching Christians on Climate Change Is Imperative. Here’s How We Do it

Students are blogging about topics that interest them for Applications in Climate and Society, a core spring class.

Jeff Berardelli, C+S ’19

(Source: Pixabay)

Right now, hundreds of thousands of children are separated from their families in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi following the devastation of Cyclone Idai. The cyclone vividly shows how extreme weather disproportionately affects the vulnerable, something climate change will exacerbate. Explaining that is one way  to reach groups like Christians, who in the U.S. are less likely to agree on climate action.

Although climate change did not cause Idai, research shows that cyclones in the Southern Indian Ocean are getting stronger and may continue to get stronger in the future.

While employing a disaster to make a point can appear opportunist, we must seize on these communication opportunities to help speed collective action so more lived are not lost. But to do that in the U.S., we need Christians onboard. More than two-thirds of the country is Christian and 25 percent of the total U.S. population is evangelical, a group with the lowest rate of man-made climate change acceptance. It’s important to understand why they have lower acceptance rates and find effective engagement methods.

The Numbers

The scientific consensus that humans are driving climate change among climate researchers is 97 percent. However, the overall acceptance in the U.S. is much lower. Only around two-thirds of Americans understand humans are changing the climate. For Christians, though, the percentage is markedly lower. Other polling shows only 26 percent of evangelicals agree that humans cause climate change.

The Reason

Most evangelical Christians’ identify as Republicans. The conservative worldview prioritizes independence and less government action, something that’s in opposition to  many climate solutions, which require collective action.

In addition, a 2017 Splinter investigation showed how Big Oil money has hijacked the Republican party and along with it, the ideology of many evangelicals. Armed with billions of dollars of special interest money, some conservative influencers have twisted concern over climate change into a perceived assault on God’s teachings.

(Source: Pixabay)

The Solutions: A Message of Creation Care

Utilizing a creation care frame means showing how climate change is a pro-life issue, especially as it relates to humans. A recent study examined the impact of creation care versus dominion messaging on climate change. Over 1,000 Christian participants read articles containing quotes from the Bible and the Pope’s Encyclical on the environment. The result indicate that participants who read articles with a creation care theme showed more concern for the environment.

One leader in that movement is Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist and evangelical who often discusses the intersection of her beliefs and work. That mix has turned out to be effective. In a recent study, college students at three Christian universities were shown different pre-recorded climate change lectures by Hayhoe. In all cases, there was a significant spike in the acceptance of, and concern about, climate change.

In a recent Nautilus article, two sociologists discussed their recent research findings. In the author’s words, “[i]t’s not that evangelicals don’t care about the environment. It’s that they care about people more.” The authors find that framing climate change as a social justice issue—showing how environmental degradation is harming the poor—can engage evangelicals more.

What’s Next

These findings in aggregate show that trusted sources equipped with a message that resonates can have a huge impact. Armed with this knowledge, the effort to enlighten and motivate Christians on climate could pay dividends. The key will be increasing mobilization of local Christian leaders and empowering them with knowledge and resources so that they can effectively engage members of their communities.