We do not have to be engineers to realize that the world in which we live is very fragile. In fact, one could say that the Earth and its surrounding atmosphere is in critical condition, and if dramatic action is not taken very soon, it may permanently lose its ability to sustain life as we know it. I do not believe that we have run into an evolutionary dead end, but I do believe that we need to pray for the moral strength and intellectual clarity to act definitively on what our hearts and minds are telling us.

There is no real argument about the fact that global warming is happening. That the polar ice cap is getting smaller is not conjecture; it is fact. That our climate is changing is a measured reality. That oceanic water levels are rising and thereby threatening some coastal and island cultures is beyond dispute. Our weather is changing. The total annual power of hurricanes has already increased markedly since 1975, because the average intensity and duration of the storms has increased. The frequency, duration and intensity of other extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, heat waves and tornadoes, have also increased. In addition, other effects of global warming are change in agricultural yields, further glacial retreat, reduced summer stream flows and species extension.

We can no longer be bystanders. We must take a stand. As a person of faith, I believe it is our moral responsibility to stand up for the yet unborn that the world into which they will come will be as rich and diverse as the one we inherited. Our lifestyle must not only meet our need, it must be sustainable.

Let us not be mistaken: We have moral choices that have to be made. What we do will make a difference. Unchecked global warming will greatly affect the life expectations of every person, born and unborn, on this Earth. We cannot continue down the path we are on. No one can afford to be uninvolved in seeking solutions. It is not too late, but we must act now. Our state and national leaders must lead as we go into the future, and we need to support them. We must cut our production of greenhouse gases. Legislation that encourages rapid actions on the part of business as well as lifestyle changes that make a cut in greenhouse gas production is not a tax, it is a step towards a future in which all will inherit a world that can sustain life.

The issue of global warming and what we can do about is it not merely a political hot potato, it is first of all a moral decision. We are called to be the stewards of the land, not merely the consumers of its riches. This means that we have a responsibility not just to take from the land the gifts it gives, but to care for it so that others might also receive. I believe that we are called by our Creator to pass on this land to those who follow with all the richness and vitality it had when we received it. To do less than this is to steal from our grandchildren the blessing God has intended for them. To do nothing, to allow the gifts of earth, air and sea to continue to be eroded, to throw back into God's face the bounty of this life which we have been given and at the same time to rob our neighbors and future generations of the lifegiving potential God intended for all. To do nothing and to allow the cancer of global warming to continue to eat away at the very foundation of life on this Earth is a sin. It is a denial of God's gifts freely given to all. It is robbing others to fulfill our lust to consume.

Let us stand together for the health of this fragile Earth we have inherited, that our grandchildren and our neighbors may have a solid foundation on which to live their lives.

(Wade Schemmel is Conference Minister of the Northern Plains Conference, United Church of Christ.)