THE CLIMATE CHANGE OF FEAR

By David Woodbury

The actual truth in the climate debate is no longer discernible, lost in the rhetoric, extravagant claims and fanatical and frenetic dialogue which now permeates the debate. What is blatantly obvious now is that there is a climate emergency, but it is the climate of fear being foisted on our children and young people that is the current and pressing emergency.

We have been subjected to highly orchestrated, manipulative demonstrations exploiting the most impressionable and vulnerable in our society: children. We have witnessed scenes of children crying because they have been convinced that the end of the world is near and a vulnerable, over-wrought and fragile 16-year-old Greta Thunberg promoted as the messiah of the climate emergency campaign.

I have lived long enough and have seen enough to know exploitation and manipulation when I see it, and it is highly visible in the recent climate demonstrations. One would hope no Christians are involved in the exploitation and manipulation of these Children.

It would appear that the organisers of the latest protests have deliberately focussed on using fear as a major motivator for their point of view. If so, the whole exercise may well backfire on them for fear is a poor motivator. Its power quickly dissipates and it usually results in those initially motivated by it, turning against those who employed it.

These organisers may well have valid concerns and their voice needs to be heard. But exploiting and manipulating children is not the way to do it: the end never justifies the means. It may well be that in the court of public opinion, not only are their actions condemned, but their issues may well be now marginalized and the validity of their movement seriously degraded.

We live in a democratic country where people are entitled to express their point of view. However, when we have to stoop to manipulating and exploiting children to support our viewpoint, our viewpoint starts to look highly questionable.

Perhaps it is time that legislators take a look at our child abuse laws and see if they need to be strengthened to stop this sort of exploitation. If state-run schools have been motivators or participants then this needs to be dealt with firmly and quickly. Children are sent to school to be educated, not to become pawns of adults in some controversial issues.

What can Christianity offer these now fearful children? Certainly not fear of God but rather the assurance of a loving and compassionate Father who will understand and not judge their dilemma. Perhaps parents need to return to the words of the Bible, God’s own words, to bring comfort and assurance to children caught in this evil exploitation. 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 – NKJV)

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. (Romans 8:38 – NLT)

So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6 – NLT)