What Would Jesus Drive? An…

                         What Would Jesus Drive?
                An Educational Campaign of the Evangelical Environmental Network
                             Fact Sheet: Global Warming
The Question
Jesus is concerned about what we drive because pollution from vehicles has a major impact on human
health and the rest of God's creation. It contributes significantly to the threat of global warming. And
our reliance on imported oil from unstable regions threatens peace and security. Making transportation
choices that threaten millions of human beings violates Jesus' Great Commandments to "Love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength"
and "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mk. 12:30-31), as well as the Golden Rule to "Do to others as
you would have them do to you" (Lk. 6:31).
The Lordship of Christ extends throughout every area of our life. Nothing is excluded from His
Lordship. This includes our transportation choices. That is why "What Would Jesus Drive?" is a
question all Christians should ponder seriously. Obeying Jesus in our transportation choices is one of
the great Christian obligations and opportunities of the twenty-first century.

U.S. Transportation & Global Warming Pollution
Today we in the U.S. are driving much more than we were in years past, and our driving is having
harmful consequences. Consider these facts.
- The largest source of global warming pollution in the United States is transportation (over 30
  percent in 1998), and the United States is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
- In 1994, nearly 60% of U.S. households owned two or more cars and 19% owned three or more.
- Since 1970, vehicle miles traveled have increased 149% while U.S. population increased 39%.
- The 2000 census revealed that 3 out of 4 workers drive to work alone, an increase from both 10 and
  20 years ago. In addition, less than 5% use public transportation and less than 3% telecommute.
- Fuel economy for passenger vehicles peaked in 1988 and is at a 22 year low. This is due to the
  increase in vehicles from the "light trucks" category (SUVs, vans, and pickups).
- Forty-five percent of the rise in global warming pollution from personal vehicles in the 1990s was
  due to the increase of vehicles in the "light trucks" category (SUVs, vans, and pickups).

Global Warming & "The Least of These"
Global warming is projected to hit the poor the hardest. It is therefore a profound challenge to
Christian justice and our call to care for "the least of these" (Mt. 25:40, 45).
- Agricultural output in many poorer countries could be significantly reduced. An additional 80-90
  million poor people could be at risk of hunger and malnutrition later in the 21st century (Lk. 4:18-
  19; Acts 14:17).
- Poorer countries are much less able to withstand the devastation caused by extreme weather events,
  and climate change is likely to increase such events. For example, global warming could increase
  the number of people impacted by flooding by 20-50 million (Job 38: 8-11; Ps. 104:9).
- Human health risks will be greater in poorer countries due to the potential for increased
  geographical distribution of infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and
  encephalitis. For example, later in this century additional 300 million people could be at risk of
  malaria due to global warming (Mk. 6:54-56).
- Each of these stressors increases the likelihood of environmental refugees and violent conflicts
  (Micah 4: 1-4; Isa. 9:6).
- Although the developed countries will likely have the resources to adapt to the impacts of global
  warming, the poor in these countries will suffer disproportionately. For example, large cities in the
  U.S. may experience, on average, several hundred extra deaths per summer.
- Entire ecosystems may be lost and others severely impacted (Lev. 25:23; Rev. 11:18).
- Geographically fixed safe areas for endangered species such as national parks could be rendered
  impotent as ecosystems shift (Ecc. 3:19-21).
- Threats to many species (e.g. the Bengal tiger, the African mountain gorilla) are at the level of
  survival (Gen. 1:20-22; Ps. 104:27-30).
Pollution that causes the threat of global warming violates the Great Commandments, the Golden Rule,
and the biblical call to care for "the least of these", and therefore denies Christ's Lordship and His
reconciliation of all things "through his blood, shed on the cross" (Col. 1:20).

For More Information
See these websites: www.whatwouldjesusdrive.org and www.creationcare.org.

Get Involved
Go to the www.whatwouldjesusdrive.org website, sign the Pledge, and get the official bumper sticker.
Tell others about the campaign. See our "Action Suggestions" Fact Sheet or the "Actions" page of the
website for what else you can do. Contact EEN to get more involved in the campaign.
    Contact EEN: een@creationcare.org ~ 202-554-1955 ~ 10 E. Lancaster Ave, Wynnewood, PA, 19096
10-22-02