God and Nature Summer 2020
By Oscar Gonzalez
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:22).
The popular perception of viruses is that they are germs that were designed to kill and damage. Our current knowledge of viruses is of course more sophisticated. Viruses have been around since the dawn of life, but even though we usually attribute living properties to them, they do not qualify as living beings. They are pieces of genetic material enclosed in a protein capsid. A virus can not be killed because it is not alive; it is an obligate parasite that relies on its host for metabolism and reproduction.
Most viruses are harmless to us because they target other kinds of life. The majority of viruses attack bacteria. They can benefit us by killing pathogenic bacteria, and they also help to release the nutrients from these prokaryotes back to the environment. It is only a tiny percentage of viruses that are harmful to us.
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:22).
The popular perception of viruses is that they are germs that were designed to kill and damage. Our current knowledge of viruses is of course more sophisticated. Viruses have been around since the dawn of life, but even though we usually attribute living properties to them, they do not qualify as living beings. They are pieces of genetic material enclosed in a protein capsid. A virus can not be killed because it is not alive; it is an obligate parasite that relies on its host for metabolism and reproduction.
Most viruses are harmless to us because they target other kinds of life. The majority of viruses attack bacteria. They can benefit us by killing pathogenic bacteria, and they also help to release the nutrients from these prokaryotes back to the environment. It is only a tiny percentage of viruses that are harmful to us.
"We must listen to the groaning of creation and implement lifestyles friendly to the environment." |
While humanity has been affected by pandemics in the past, it is important to examine how the current crisis is tied to the mismanagement of nature by humans. I see this as one of the “groans” of creation. Theologians such as Keller (1) interpret Romans 8:22 in an eschatological way: the current natural decay and death will be transformed in the new creation. Death and decay are something not nice to us; however, these natural processes are fundamental for ecosystems to work and prosper as inherent parts of the creation (2). I am not denying the eschatological interpretation of this section of the book of Romans; what I’m saying is that we have exacerbated the decay of nature in a way that the fruits of creation are not being renewed.
Several outbreaks that affected humans have occurred because we removed wildlife from their natural habitats or interacted too closely with animals by bringing them to markets. AIDS originated from a virus among chimpanzees, Ebola was likely transmitted by bats, and H1N1 involved pigs and migrating birds. COVID-19 likely arose from a mutated bat or pangolin virus (3).
Our ecological footprint has been crushing forests, marshes, oceans, and all natural habitats. Pollution, deforestation, and species extinction has been a signature of humanity on this planet. A failure to care for natural habitats and animals caused this pandemic. Degrading ecosystems by capturing wild animals and destroying their habitats increase the risk of viruses and other pathogens to humans (4).
Some might celebrate that the quarantine offers the Earth a chance to rest from the “human pest.” I do not agree with those that have “eco-genocidal” thoughts. COVID-19 is killing many people, and that should not be a motive to celebrate, no matter how much you appreciate nature. This virus cannot be a blessing if it benefits animals but people die, because blessings from God are for both (Deut. 28:4).
It has been reported that wild animals are now easier to find in natural spaces, and sometimes even in highly urbanized areas (5). Carbon and other emissions have also diminished significantly due to the interruption of traffic and factories. That could be seen as a positive impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but the apparent flourishing of wildlife and cleaning of the air will not last long. When the quarantine is over, it is likely that everything will return to the way it was unless we learn the lesson: we should respect spaces for wildlife. We should hear the creation groaning.
And, unfortunately, it is not just pollution that has slowed down during the pandemic. Nature conservation projects have also stopped (6), and environmental policies that took so much work to enact could be dismissed or overturned by politicians that use the pandemic as an excuse. The economic loss is so high everywhere that many will support abandoning laws that protect natural areas. The criminal gangs that destroy the forests and wildlife in the Amazon region or Indonesia do not respect the quarantine (7). Their crimes are not just against trees and animals—they kill conservationists and indigenous people that dare to speak against the illegal activities (8).
Environmental policies should not be postponed even in the middle of the pandemics, and after the COVID-19 crisis is over, the world should not go back to how we did things before. We must listen to the groaning of creation and implement lifestyles friendly to the environment. For Christians, this call has a name: Creation care (9). Stopping pollution, climate change, and the destruction of nature must be part of Christian ethics. When we disturb ecosystems and the wildlife that depends on them, we are disturbing the viruses that are inherent to the natural world and live in animal hosts. They will “jump” to us as another zoonotic (animals-to-humans) infection, and if human-to-human transmission follows, we get epidemics that may morph into pandemics, as happened with COVID-19 (10).
The creation is groaning; others interpret COVID-19 as a symptom of “Gaia’s sickness” (11). We, humans, are a unique part of creation. At the heart of the Creation care doctrine is the view of humans as stewards of creation (Gen 2:15). Christians can apply “loving your neighbor” to preventing a pandemic by fiercely opposing deforestation and the traffic of wildlife. We will do our part for the healing of the land and appease the groaning of creation. As Francis Collins said: “…back through human history, we’ve had many plagues. Christians have often been at their best in those plagues, by basically doing things that people around them would not do to try to help those who are suffering. And I hope we’re doing that again, in a way that people recognize, although also we need to keep ourselves safe” (12).
References
1. Keller, T. 2015. Creation’s Groans Are Not Meaningless. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/creations-groans-are-not-meaningless/
2. Wood, J.R. 2016. An ecological perspective on the role of death in creation. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 68(2):74-86.
3. Montgomery, R.A. and Macdonald, D. W. 2020. COVID-19, Health, Conservation, and Shared Wellbeing: Details Matter. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.06.001
4. Everard, M. et al. 2020. The role of ecosystems in mitigation and management of Covid-19 and other zoonoses. Environmental Science and Policy 111:7-17.
5. Chow, D. 2020. Coronavirus shutdowns have unintended climate benefits: Cleaner air, clearer water. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/coronavirus-shutdowns-have-unintended-climate-benefits-n1161921, Henriques, M. 2020. Has coronavirus helped the environment? https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200422-how-has-coronavirus-helped-the-environment
6. Corlett, R.T. et al. “Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on biodiversity conservation.” Biological conservation, vol. 246 108571. 8 Apr. 2020, doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108571
7. Lodoño, E. et al: Amazon Deforestation Soars as Pandemic Hobbles Enforcement
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/world/americas/amazon-deforestation-brazil.html
8. Angelo, PJ and Gevarter, D: Who Is Killing Latin America’s Environmentalists?
https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/who-killing-latin-americas-environmentalists
9. Evangelical Environmental Network. An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation. https://creationcare.org/what-we-do/an-evangelical-declaration-on-the-care-of-creation.html
10. WWF. 2020. Covid 19: Urgent call to protect people and nature. World Wide Fund for Nature. Gland.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/covid19-urgent-call-to-protect-people-and-nature
11. Gatti, R.C. 2020. Coronavirus outbreak is a symptom of Gaia’s sickness. Ecological Modelling 426. 1909075 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109075
12. Collins, F. 2020. Where is God in a Pandemic? Biologos.org. https://biologos.org/resources/where-is-god-in-a-pandemic
Oscar Gonzalez is a Biologist. He earned a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology, an M.Sc. in Tropical Biodiversity Management, and another M.Sc. in Zoology. As an Ecologist and a Christian, he likes to see the interaction of faith and science when studying nature and mainly birds, which are his passion. He is a long-time ASA member and also serves on the advisory board of the BioLogos Foundation. He currently works as an assistant professor in the department of natural sciences at Emmanuel College in Georgia, and as vice-president of Grupo Aves del Peru. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Oscar_Gonzalez26
Several outbreaks that affected humans have occurred because we removed wildlife from their natural habitats or interacted too closely with animals by bringing them to markets. AIDS originated from a virus among chimpanzees, Ebola was likely transmitted by bats, and H1N1 involved pigs and migrating birds. COVID-19 likely arose from a mutated bat or pangolin virus (3).
Our ecological footprint has been crushing forests, marshes, oceans, and all natural habitats. Pollution, deforestation, and species extinction has been a signature of humanity on this planet. A failure to care for natural habitats and animals caused this pandemic. Degrading ecosystems by capturing wild animals and destroying their habitats increase the risk of viruses and other pathogens to humans (4).
Some might celebrate that the quarantine offers the Earth a chance to rest from the “human pest.” I do not agree with those that have “eco-genocidal” thoughts. COVID-19 is killing many people, and that should not be a motive to celebrate, no matter how much you appreciate nature. This virus cannot be a blessing if it benefits animals but people die, because blessings from God are for both (Deut. 28:4).
It has been reported that wild animals are now easier to find in natural spaces, and sometimes even in highly urbanized areas (5). Carbon and other emissions have also diminished significantly due to the interruption of traffic and factories. That could be seen as a positive impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but the apparent flourishing of wildlife and cleaning of the air will not last long. When the quarantine is over, it is likely that everything will return to the way it was unless we learn the lesson: we should respect spaces for wildlife. We should hear the creation groaning.
And, unfortunately, it is not just pollution that has slowed down during the pandemic. Nature conservation projects have also stopped (6), and environmental policies that took so much work to enact could be dismissed or overturned by politicians that use the pandemic as an excuse. The economic loss is so high everywhere that many will support abandoning laws that protect natural areas. The criminal gangs that destroy the forests and wildlife in the Amazon region or Indonesia do not respect the quarantine (7). Their crimes are not just against trees and animals—they kill conservationists and indigenous people that dare to speak against the illegal activities (8).
Environmental policies should not be postponed even in the middle of the pandemics, and after the COVID-19 crisis is over, the world should not go back to how we did things before. We must listen to the groaning of creation and implement lifestyles friendly to the environment. For Christians, this call has a name: Creation care (9). Stopping pollution, climate change, and the destruction of nature must be part of Christian ethics. When we disturb ecosystems and the wildlife that depends on them, we are disturbing the viruses that are inherent to the natural world and live in animal hosts. They will “jump” to us as another zoonotic (animals-to-humans) infection, and if human-to-human transmission follows, we get epidemics that may morph into pandemics, as happened with COVID-19 (10).
The creation is groaning; others interpret COVID-19 as a symptom of “Gaia’s sickness” (11). We, humans, are a unique part of creation. At the heart of the Creation care doctrine is the view of humans as stewards of creation (Gen 2:15). Christians can apply “loving your neighbor” to preventing a pandemic by fiercely opposing deforestation and the traffic of wildlife. We will do our part for the healing of the land and appease the groaning of creation. As Francis Collins said: “…back through human history, we’ve had many plagues. Christians have often been at their best in those plagues, by basically doing things that people around them would not do to try to help those who are suffering. And I hope we’re doing that again, in a way that people recognize, although also we need to keep ourselves safe” (12).
References
1. Keller, T. 2015. Creation’s Groans Are Not Meaningless. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/creations-groans-are-not-meaningless/
2. Wood, J.R. 2016. An ecological perspective on the role of death in creation. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 68(2):74-86.
3. Montgomery, R.A. and Macdonald, D. W. 2020. COVID-19, Health, Conservation, and Shared Wellbeing: Details Matter. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.06.001
4. Everard, M. et al. 2020. The role of ecosystems in mitigation and management of Covid-19 and other zoonoses. Environmental Science and Policy 111:7-17.
5. Chow, D. 2020. Coronavirus shutdowns have unintended climate benefits: Cleaner air, clearer water. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/coronavirus-shutdowns-have-unintended-climate-benefits-n1161921, Henriques, M. 2020. Has coronavirus helped the environment? https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200422-how-has-coronavirus-helped-the-environment
6. Corlett, R.T. et al. “Impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on biodiversity conservation.” Biological conservation, vol. 246 108571. 8 Apr. 2020, doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108571
7. Lodoño, E. et al: Amazon Deforestation Soars as Pandemic Hobbles Enforcement
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/world/americas/amazon-deforestation-brazil.html
8. Angelo, PJ and Gevarter, D: Who Is Killing Latin America’s Environmentalists?
https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/who-killing-latin-americas-environmentalists
9. Evangelical Environmental Network. An Evangelical Declaration on the Care of Creation. https://creationcare.org/what-we-do/an-evangelical-declaration-on-the-care-of-creation.html
10. WWF. 2020. Covid 19: Urgent call to protect people and nature. World Wide Fund for Nature. Gland.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/publications/covid19-urgent-call-to-protect-people-and-nature
11. Gatti, R.C. 2020. Coronavirus outbreak is a symptom of Gaia’s sickness. Ecological Modelling 426. 1909075 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109075
12. Collins, F. 2020. Where is God in a Pandemic? Biologos.org. https://biologos.org/resources/where-is-god-in-a-pandemic
Oscar Gonzalez is a Biologist. He earned a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Ecology, an M.Sc. in Tropical Biodiversity Management, and another M.Sc. in Zoology. As an Ecologist and a Christian, he likes to see the interaction of faith and science when studying nature and mainly birds, which are his passion. He is a long-time ASA member and also serves on the advisory board of the BioLogos Foundation. He currently works as an assistant professor in the department of natural sciences at Emmanuel College in Georgia, and as vice-president of Grupo Aves del Peru. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Oscar_Gonzalez26