Evangelical scientist warns

The world cannot adapt its way out of the climate crisis, and counting on adaptation to limit damage is no substitute for urgently cutting greenhouse gases, leading evangelical climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe (see photo) has warned.

Hayhoe, chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy in the US, professor at Texas Tech University, and Climate Ambassador for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), said the world was heading for dangers unseen in the 10,000 years of human civilisation.

‘People do not understand the magnitude of what is going on,’ she said. ‘This will be greater than anything we have ever seen in the past. This will be unprecedented. Every living thing will be affected.’

The whole of modern life was at stake, she added. ‘Human civilisation is based on the assumption of a stable climate, But we are moving far beyond the stable range.

‘If we continue with business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions, there is no adaptation that is possible. You just can’t’, she said.

Hayhoe has previously spoken candidly about her Christian faith and how it impacts her scientific work. In a press interview last year she said: ‘As a Christian, I believe we’re called to love others as we’ve been loved by God, and that means caring for those who are suffering – their physical needs and their well-being – which today are being exacerbated by climate impacts. How could I not want to do something about that? That’s why I became a climate scientist.

‘The first time I was invited to speak at a local church in Texas, I decided the time had come to share more of my personal motivation, as uncomfortable as it might feel. After all, the reason I’m a climate scientist is because I’m a Christian.’