It's not hard at all these days to find someone willing to toss off a passionate opinion about mankind's contribution to climate change and what should be done about it.  Just scratch the surface though and you'll find yourself at the wickedly complex intersection of science (determining what and how to measure "it"), politics (the process of agreeing to action) and economics (estimating the effect and ultimate difference of the action).  The Church, from the Pope to humble parishes, now seems determined to join this interlocked debate under the guise of a good steward. 

As someone who has lived a life of both Science and Faith that makes my antenna a little twitchy as both my education in Applied Earth Science and subsequent professional life tell me that the underlying science is neither simple nor straightforward.   As a person of Faith, I am uneasy when I hear equally righteous claims to good stewardship being made that run the gamut from moving off fossil fuels as quickly as possible to increasing their use as a means of alleviating oppressive poverty.  But it's when the debaters begin to throw around naughty words like denier and fraudster that I know civil, let alone productive, communication has obviously ceased.  Perhaps less obvious though is a useful role for the Church to play in all this as a truly good steward.

A steward is someone who manages the affairs of another.  In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus' paramount teaching on stewardship, lazy and ineffective stewardship is contrasted with its good and faithful counterpoint.  In short, a person practicing the former does little but hide what he has been given to manage while the good steward wisely invests his "talents" to produce a multiplied return.  The eternal lesson as well as challenge for the Church is to focus on those talents we have been given and then selflessly exploit them to the Glory of God. 

With respect to the climate change debates it would be wise for the Church to first recognize that the more zealous true believers on all sides have created a toxic stew of immature science, advocacy and hype.   Should it choose sides the Church, without any particular scientific or economic expertise, would likely only be adding a naive voice to their growing clamour of antiphonal ignorance[*].  To merely ape the arguments of one side or the other, especially without useful expertise, would also be the lazy steward's way.

Alternatively, the Church could choose to reveal and bring to bear a talent that it actually has and that is sorely missing.  We do have institutional skill and expertise in conflict resolution.  Acting as an honest broker we do know how to create safe places for diverse people to talk, to disentangle issues, to seek mutual understanding and to work out broadly beneficial action.  

Ministering to the world around us with this talent would require the diligence of a good steward combined with more than a little dovish innocence and serpentine wisdom.  But it is also a talent worthy of multiplication in this world and maybe even a peacemaker's blessings in the next.