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15 items

  • Towards a Psychology of Religion and the Environment

    This article discusses how religion is a powerful tool that can be utilized in promoting environmentalism. While religious text can be utilized both for and against environmentalism, religion more often than not helps to promote protection of the environment according to their findings.

  • Resources for Preaching & Speaking on Climate Change

    The resource gives information for preachers and other religious figures to use when talking about climate change. It starts by giving reasons for preaching about climate change and why it is important for us now and in the future. It also gives facts from scientists on the climate which mentions the aspects of climate change such as the causes and effects on the environment, and what humans can do to help. The article then gives biblical themes related to climate change and also gives advice for religious leaders to overcome possible barriers when preaching.

  • What Karl Marx has to say about today's environmental problems

    Ted Benton, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, writes about how Marx's theories can be applied to modern environmental issues such as climate change. He talks about how Marx's ideas about capitalism relate to current exploitation of nature, and specifically about soil degradation which was an issue during the 1860s when Marx was alive. He also includes problematic parts of Marx's attitudes towards nature, such as his praise of increased productivity of land that may have inspired Stalin.

  • How Buddhist monks in Ladakh are fighting climate change

    Buddhists Monks in the Himalayas are taking a stand to climate change. On Earth Day 2018, thousands of people came together in the village of Yerat to plant trees. The region is rapidly losing glaciers, causing a shortage in water supply to the villages in the area who rely on snowmelt for water. The volunteers were inspired to participate due to their devotion to His Holiness Kyabgön Chetsang Rinpoche and his vision for "a more verdant and organic Ladakh."

  • Five Years After Speaking Out on Climate Change, Pope Francis Sounds an Urgent Alarm

    This article covers Pope Francis's reaction to the world governments responses to climate change. The Pope writes to unite people through religion in an effort to bring awareness to the movement. The article details how the church is divesting in fossil fuel companies. The article also focuses on the political divide and how it affects people's views on the climate crisis.

  • Overpopulation and the Lifeboat Metaphor: A Critique from an African Worldview

    Many scientists have warned that the earth is nearing overpopulation or has already reached its carrying capacity. Garret Hardin proposed the lifeboat ethics metaphor to address this crisis and proper resource distributions. Okyere-Manu comments that this metaphor does not take into account the African political and cultural worldview. Hardin's metaphor is also reliant on inequality which disproportionately affects vulnerable communities.

  • Religion and animal welfare: Evidence from voting data

    This article, written by Julio Videras, works to analyze the factors that contributed to a 2002 ban on farming practices in Florida that were deemed cruel to pigs. Not only is religion taken into account (specifically Catholicism and Evangelical denominations), but political and socioeconomic factors are also considered. Videras argues that political affiliation and socioeconomic factors play more of a role in people's opinion of the ban than religious factors do.

  • The Wisdom of Houseplants

    There has been a recent rise in the popularity of houseplants. This resource relates aspects of tending to houseplants to different ways you can be more mindful about your own life. Through caring for the houseplants, this web page reminds you to be adaptable, to be patient, and to expand yourself. While also additionally reminding the reader that letting go and paying attention to your physical health are both key in positive personal growth.

  • 15 Green Religious Leaders

    This article contains a list of spiritual leaders that openly advocate for the protection of the environment. The 15 names are listed then followed by a description of their faith and views on the natural world. The article portrays that throughout different religions, many leaders are starting to encourage a sort of "eco-gospel."

  • Indigenous peoples and local communities offer best hope for our planetary emergency

    Indigenous peoples steward 80 percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity, yet their voices are often excluded from decision-making. Moreover, such environmental defenders remain a vulnerable group that is troubled by intimidation and torture. In this article, the authors cover a few organizations, such as Nature for Life Hub and Youth4Nature, established to empower and defend the voices of indigenous peoples, local communities, and the youths.

  • Applying the hard lessons of coronavirus to the biodiversity crisis

    In this article, Jamison Ervin, Manager of Nature for Development at UNDP, summarizes key lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 pandemic and how these can be applied to environmental protection efforts.

  • Mercury Pollution a Concern of Evangelical Environmental Network

    This article talks about mercury pollution and the pressing issues in need of attention and advocacy. The pro-life evangelicals have been pushing for more restrictions and regulations relating to mercury. This article intends to show how mercury poisoning hurts human lives and its different aspects that have long been overlooked.

  • How Religion Influences Our Relationship With the Environment

    This article, drawing references from a study in the Journal of Religion and Demography, summarizes how religions influence many environmentally relevant behaviors.

    The author and his colleagues discovered that countries with a lower religious population utilize more resources and emit more emissions, but they are also better prepared to deal with the environmental difficulties that emerge since they are wealthier. On the other hand, countries with more religious populations tend to use fewer resources, but they also have less capability to address environmental concerns and are more vulnerable to negative consequences, owing to their high levels of poverty and continued population increase.

    The link between religion, poverty, environmental impact, and governance is intricate and ever-evolving; the field continues to call for more research.

  • People of faith are allies to stall climate change (Nature Magazine)

    Tobias Müller is a political scientist who studies how religious groups respond to problems, from environmental crises to domestic violence to racism. In this article, he explores changes in the intersection of climate science and communities of faith. Müller shares with us patterns he's observed and strategies he's learned in his years in the field that help strengthen collaboration and the power to pursue climate justice. Some core ideas include:

    1. Collaborate with religious scientists and local leaders.
    2. Stories speak louder than graphs.
    3. Talk about what matters to you and your audience.

  • How faith-based organizations are restoring nature

    Many ecosystems around the world, from forests to coral reefs, are in decline, victims of pollution, climate change and resource extraction.

    But faith-based organizations are increasingly stepping in to help repair these natural spaces. From projects to save Ethiopia's forests to yogic farming in India to botanic gardens in Qatar, in many cases, religious leaders have become environmental influencers, championing nature-based solutions that experts say are crucial to saving the ecosystems that underpin human society.