Last summer Rock County was impacted once again by an extreme weather event in the form of heavy rains that flooded fields, basements and public places.
My wife and I have lived in Luverne for more than 20 years. In that time we have witnessed at least three “100-year floods” with the most formidable being the Father’s Day flood of 2014.
Our autumns are trending warmer and drier, and we have experienced consecutive “open” winters with minimal snowfall.
The USDA hardiness zone map used by farmers and gardeners was revised in 2023 to reflect the warmer falls and winters nationwide.
Scientific research finds that human activity, such as that which emits carbon dioxide, is impacting weather and human life hundreds of miles from its source, including impacts here in Rock County.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with its mission to protect human health and the environment, has been critical in establishing safeguards that will help reduce the frequency and intensity of our weather in Rock County.
Unfortunately, the EPA announced plans to roll back measures that protect our air, water and soils from contamination, putting our health and the flourishing of our community at risk.
Caring for Rock County and our health is why I work for the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). In response to these proposed rollbacks, EEN president and CEO, the Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman, wrote:
“As evangelical Christians, we take seriously our biblical mandates to defend the life of all God's children, both born and unborn, and protect God's creation. The EPA has a similar mission to protect human health and the environment.
“In over five decades of work, Republican and Democratic administrations have faithfully advanced this mission delivering cleaner air and water resulting in millions of American lives saved.
“While we have not always agreed on everything, EEN has worked productively with the EPA on our shared commitment to defend the health of our children. This includes advancing critical pollution safeguards that have
•reduced levels of mercury, a dangerous neurotoxin that harms the brain development of unborn children and lowers IQs by over 90 percent;
•cut levels of microscopic particulate matter (PM2.5) and soot from traffic and power plant emissions that cause asthma, dementia and poor birth outcomes like lower birth weights, pre-term birth and stillbirth;
•lowered carbon pollution that is fueling more extreme weather and making our communities less safe, as recently seen in Western North Carolina and Los Angeles;
•reduced wasteful methane emissions and associated harmful gases that medical research links to brain and spinal cord birth defects in our babies and cancer in adults.
“Although we have made incredible gains due to the Clean Air Act and the vital work of the EPA, the American Lung Association finds that nearly 40 percent of Americans, representing 131.2 million people, still live in areas with unhealthy air.
“As pro-life Christians, we will not rest until all God’s children are free from the burden of pollution and can reach their full God-given potential.”
As a Christian, I’m reminded of God’s mandate to “tend and care for the garden” (Genesis 2:15).
But I can’t tend the garden alone; I need to partner with agencies such as the EPA to fulfill the mandate to care for God’s creation. To care for God’s creation is one of many actions to fulfill the Great Commandment of Jesus Christ to Love God and to Love thy Neighbor.
The Rev. Tim Olsen is a Luverne resident who is the Upper Midwest Coordinator for the Evangelical Environmental Network (creationcare.org) based in Washington, D.C. Olsen can be contacted at tim@creationcare.org.
