Let’s cut to the good news: This present planet is not going to last forever. The Bible says Christians should live holy and godly lives “as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:12, 13).
Today’s earth, with its pollution, decay, and destruction at the hands of greedy people, will not remain. We’re going to have a new earth because God has promised it, with Paradise restored.
But nowhere does the Bible tell us when these glorious events are going to take place. For now this earth is all we have.
If you ever have the opportunity, go online and seek out videos produced by Britain’s SkyNews for their Sky Oceans campaign. The stories are striking and heart-stirring, though not always easy or pleasant to watch.
The Planet Needs Our Help
The major concern in the world’s oceans these days is the vast amounts of plastics—bags, bottles, cups, straws, even sandals—that are dumped into the water worldwide. The ones that don’t end up snaring small birds and marine life are often eaten by these creatures. Those that aren’t eaten can end up on distant beaches or clumped together in gigantic floating “islands” of debris.
Plastic doesn’t break down into elements that can be absorbed and used by the earth. That’s why these nearly indestructible items pile up, threatening our lives and the environment.
The challenge, of course, is that every person on this planet needs oceans to survive. Some consume fish from the seas, but we all partake of the water, either directly, through desalination plants, or as it evaporates and moves into the atmosphere to become rain.
Coastal dwellers and vacationers cherish time on a beachfront, unless the resulting pollution makes the beach unusable or the smell unpalatable. Plastic pollution threatens beaches throughout the world, most notably in many of the Pacific’s smaller islands, as well as nations such as the Philippines, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and others.
What can I do to help? One answer is to avoid plastic bottles and other disposable items whenever and wherever possible. Another is to limit use of drinking straws, and to make sure those plastics I do use are recycled.
The other is to become educated about the problem and urge others to learn about it. That’s what I’ve done this past year, and I hope to do more. Please pray about your involvement with plastics and see if you can do things to help, until that day a new earth arrives. Thank you!
Mark A. Kellner is a Seventh-day Adventist writer living in Salt Lake City, Utah.
