Can religion gear people towards climate change?

Approximately 6.67 out of 7.9 billion people in the world are affiliated as religious. Additionally, this estimate does not remain static but is only expected to grow with growing populations. This is because of a myriad of reasons including-

1. Religion sustains itself through people and its doctrines are inherited as values from one generation to another. In fact, a lot of our notions of right and wrong were probably explained to us through allusions. (For instance: a child being told not to be bad or not to steal, because God is watching)

2. It is something people readily accept without necessarily invoking rationality. This looks like sincerely following through on customs and age old traditions which might not have any scientific backing (eg: fasting for days).

3. Backing out of religion comes at the cost of community. Human beings are social creatures and inherently gravitate to a sense of belonging. Religion lets you access this much more easily than what any other alternative might simply because you are born into it. Cost of community impacts individuals not only emotionally but also in terms of opportunities. For instance: the Hindu community in the USA would help a Hindu migrant in small things- like get a petty job, some help with documentation;

4. Religion exclusively gives you solace when apparently nothing else can. While this experience is hard to illustrate, consider this- religion/faith based rehabilitation is known to be efficient and is still well in use. The reason for this is the general consensus that “God can grant salvation. They are all-forgiving and hence reforming is worth it. God is always with you no matter where you are”

Then again, you could think some of these stand invalid because the world is gradually growing more progressive. Note however, as the world changes, more progressive interpretations of religion are also adopted because religion gets legitimacy from numbers.

All of these arguments tell you that religion is a self-sustaining mechanism residing deep in people’s belief system and it is unlikely to be dismantled. At least not until the human race goes extinct.

Speaking of the human race going extinct, climate change is very likely to bring about the irreversible collapse of our civilization. It is important to note that climate change is natural but climate change as our impending doom was entirely man-made. We burn down forests without completely replacing them, we exploit animals for various products, we waste unapologetically all to serve our greed. At this point, it becomes important to ask- can religion save us from ourselves? Across many cultures, nature is not seen as a separate phenomenon per se, but instead a revered entity full of religious significance. Rituals were performed in nature, sacrifices were made to nature, doctrines which document ancestral beliefs were hence intrinsically linked with nature. It is fair to then extrapolate that religious beliefs can sway one’s adaptation to climate change.

How have religion and environment interacted?

Hinduism, the oldest religion in the world, professes human-nature relationships in 2 ways- There is continuity through soul and an intimate relationship among all beings, so it is crucial that they come to no harm because impact on one does not remain isolated. Harm to one soul can just as adversely affect another. One’s behavior toward the environment has “karmic” consequences i.e you sow what you reap. Therefore, actively protecting the environment amounts to good karma. However, things look different in practice: Cremation of the dead (which assures the journey into the afterlife) amounts to deforestation and air pollution. Several water bodies like the Ganges, Yamuna have been polluted in the name of rituals even though these water bodies are revered as sacred.

According to Christianity, the most followed religion across the world, the notion of “responsibility” is used to define nature-human interaction. According to the paper “Religious beliefs and climate change adaptation: A study of 3 rural South African Communities”, this definition includes “the stewardship over nature God gives humankind”. This can be looked at very differently. One interpretation could imply humankind’s dominion over nature. The other can view humankind as a savior or caretaker of Nature and its resources. These standpoints highlight a contradiction, leaving us at odds as to what we should ascribe to.

So how do we change?

It is very difficult to get people to not partake in rituals they have performed their whole lives. However, it is relatively easier to enable and advocate a sustainable ecosystem which supports rituals and is also environment friendly. Some temples are constructed such that fresh flowers and milk offered to deities is channeled through a pipe wherein these are used to create incense sticks and candles, which in turn can be used for worship. More importantly, these incense sticks are aromatic, do not burn as long as normal incense sticks, hence they pollute less. If practiced on a larger scale, this could dramatically reduce volumes of pollution.

Ensuring religious leaders to advocate such environment-friendly means, reinforce what it means to protect Mother Nature. This is true for all kinds of religions and can be efficient given the influence a religious leader asserts over how people understand their faith. The question now becomes why? Why would these leaders profess eco-friendly interpretations of religion? The answer isn’t as complex. Like I said earlier, religion retains its legitimacy in numbers and hence always has an incentive to acquire more followers. The best way to do this is to appeal to the younger generations who seem to diverge from customs as they might not align with their progressive views. Given that a lot of protests and action addressing issues of the environment come from the youth, directing them that religion aligns with environmental protection can help religion gain more followers and bring about changes in its prior practices that can now be eco-friendly. Religion is a massive vehicle for change. People hold their faith to themselves dearly. It only seems fair to wield the potential that religion has to guide people to save themselves and the planet.