As Christians, Should We Be Paying Closer Attention to Our Climate?

July 10, 2025 | Thomas Tavani

As many of you reading this know, I am a Christian. I had my “come to Jesus” moment 25 years ago, and since then, I’ve believed every word the Bible has to offer—including the account of creation in Genesis.

For most of my life, I never paid much attention to the climate. In fact, I often argued that the climate hadn’t changed since the beginning of time. One of my go-to lines—something I heard often and repeated myself—was, “God is in control” or “The earth is going to die anyway, so let’s leave that subject alone.”

But then I read Genesis chapter 1 with fresh eyes. It establishes not just God’s act of creation, but the responsibility He gives humanity to care for it. We’re made in His image and given dominion over the earth. We are not to exploit it, but to steward it.

I had to ask myself: Have humans contributed to climate change?

At the time, I had only basic knowledge of the topic, so I reflected on my own experiences. Since the invention of the first automobile in 1885, the Benz Patent Motor Car , vehicle production has exploded, increasing pollution. According to data from Hedges & Company which provides automotive market research data, the earth now has 1.644 billion vehicles with 17% recorded in the US. The Industrial Revolution and the burning of fossil fuels have contributed significantly to atmospheric changes. According to research, the dawn of the industrial revolution, coal, gas and oil, are responsible for 75% of the climate problem.

I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. If you lived close to the smokestacks, you'd find black soot in your backyard. Pollution wasn’t some distant theory—it was on your clothesline. In 2016, I traveled to South America and saw cornfields growing in soil littered with garbage. Contaminated soil tilled over year after year, season after season. It’s hard to say with a straight face that humans haven’t impacted the climate.

Then one day, while researching something online, I stumbled upon a lecture by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe—a Canadian-born, world-renowned climate scientist and a committed Evangelical Christian. I started listening. She quoted Scripture and used sound words to talk about climate change in a way I hadn’t heard before.

It reminded me of my early days before I knew Christ. Back then, I’d argue with Christians, saying the Bible was full of contradictions. One day, I decided to read it—just to find those contradictions and confront others with so called proof I had discovered. But I was stopped in my tracks and that is the day I met God, true story.

Let me be clear: I’m not a climate activist. I haven’t “drank the juice.” You will not see me tied up to trees any time soon. In fact, I believe the government has done real harm to farmers in Canada in recent years—with carbon taxes, fertilizer restrictions, land expropriations, and ever-changing protocols from agencies like the CFIA and OMAFA. I will always advocate for our farmers and for common sense.

But I also love evidence. I used to work as a private investigator, and to this day, I’m hooked on documentaries where I can try to solve the mystery before the end. If the evidence is overwhelming, you can’t deny it.

In a talk at Lanier Theological Library in Houston, Dr. Hayhoe said there are 26,500 data indicators showing that our planet is warming. That caught my attention. Especially because it was coming from someone who knows both science and Scripture. It was such a large number that it made me research even further.

I’ve been invited to talks by others who deny climate change—some with impressive-sounding credentials, but not in climate science. Let’s be honest: if you have a heart problem, you don’t go to a dentist. You go to a cardiologist. So why ignore the voices of actual climate scientists—especially when they’re fellow believers?

I started to realize: God didn’t create us to be robots. We have free will and some of our choices have damaged the earth God entrusted to us. While we must push back against harmful government overreach, we also need to be open to solutions—new technologies, better practices, and wise stewardship.

As Christians, shouldn't we be leading the charge to care for God's creation until He returns? Not through fear, but through faithful obedience. There are Christian farmers and believers on both sides of this conversation, and we must respect one another. But let’s at least be willing to think, to listen, and to examine the evidence.

That’s what changed my mind—and my heart.

Thomas Tavani is the General Manager for CFFO. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy.