Evangelical climate scientist says 'taking the Bible seriously' means taking climate action

This week, the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership recognized people who are leading the conversation about climate solutions with its annual Climate Adaptation Awards. And it welcomed as its keynote speaker someone who is doing that work in an increasingly polarized place in American culture — Katharine Hayhoe is chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy and an evangelical Christian.

Her recent book is called “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World,” and she often talks about climate science through the lens of religion.

"When you look at any major faith tradition, they all have at their core some aspect of good stewardship over nature or creation and caring for those less fortunate than us,” Hayhoe said on Climate Cast this week. “Those are the only values we need to care about a changing climate.”

“In fact, if we took the Bible seriously, we’d be out at the front of the line demanding climate action, as many people who call themselves Christians are, rather than dragging our feet at the back as, unfortunately, many in the United States who call themselves Christians are,” she continued.

You can hear more from Hayhoe using the audio player above or by subscribing to the Climate Cast podcast.