Chapter 4
Chapter 4- Standing room only for the creatures of the Earth
In this chapter we focus on human population, biodiversity loss and peak oil. We consider the loss of the rain forests and the impact of urban sprawl. In response to this we look at the concept of creation in bondage as set out in Romans 8.
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UPDATE 1
Dr. Mike Pepler wrote his article on Peak Oil first for Sage Words, and we included it in Chapter 4 of our book. Even during the time we were writing the book things were hotting up on this topic, and we noted that it reached the respected American journal, Science, 
in the summer of 2007. As we write now in June 2008 the oil price has exceeded $130 a barrel for the first time, exactly what we would expect if Peak Oil were beginning to click in. Peak Oil has, for many years, been the preserve of a few environmentalists, but the idea is beginning to go mainstream.
The British media also began to pick up the story:
Peak Oil does not seem likely to go away any time soon.
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UPDATE 2
In this chapter we also considered loss of biodiversity. There is a lot happening in this area, but we have a long way to go as this article shows: Progress at UN biodiversity forum (30 May 2008)
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UPDATE 3
Although the overall effects of climate change are undoubtedly negative, there are some cases where the effect seems to be positive, at least at the moment. In Chapter 4, Dr Andy Gosler told us about the positive effects a warmer climate was having on the breeding of great tits in Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire. The work of Andy's collegues was highlighted on the BBC web site (8 May 2008) in the article Great tits cope well with warming
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Web Links to Resources used in this Chapter
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Biodiversity Synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC. Published on-line at www.millenniumassessment.org
Chinese challenge one-child policy. (25 May 2007). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6694135.stm