A religious perspective on climate change

Abstract

The aim of this article is to argue that religions can contribute to fight climate change. It is argued that religions can contribute with ethics. Religions can contribute with reflections concerning fundamental ethical principles as well as practical ethical instructions concerning sustainable lifestyles. But it is also argued that religions can contribute with a world-view that underpins ethics in a very fruitful way. We can want to protect the world because it is beautiful, not simply because it is useful. A religious worldview is articulated very clearly in praise and celebration. Here all of creation is praised and celebrated as the works of an all loving God or Spirit. This implies that the universe, planet Earth and all life on it are seen as creations which all have an intrinsic value. They are not just accidental matter or means for human beings, but magnificent creations which are commendable in themselves, no matter what their utility value may be. According to this religious interpretation ethics are thus grounded in a cosmic love. The motivation for taking care of the environment is love and not rational calculation and duty. A motivation based on positive, elevated feelings such as love, respect, devotion and an experience of beauty is much more vigorous than a motivation based on cool calculations and cold-hearted duty. Religion can engage people at a deeper level than economics and policy, and a deep engagement is extremely important for the success of fighting climate changes, because it is going to take decades.

Notes

1. Again we realize that things might look very differently from within other religious perspectives. Extensive comparisons of different religious views on the relationship between ethics and religion can be found in e.g. the Journal of Religious Ethics. Here we attempt to develop a normative argument and have therefore chosen to unfold this instead of comparing different ways of looking at the issue.

2. If you have ever tried to quit tobacco, alcohol, meat, chocolate, drugs etc. you will know this. Unless you see it as a necessary sacrifice to gain something else, it is almost impossible to change your lifestyle, but as soon as you see the change as an opportunity to live in a different way that will make you “feel” better (and this can be in numerous ways), it is much easier to change even long-life habits.

3. There is much more to be said about the interconnectedness of aesthetics and ethics, but for our purposes here we will stick with this simplistic model

4. We realize that the claim that these experiences actually carry information about what nature is and not just what we would like it to be, is not unproblematic. This is, however, not the time and place to dive into this epistemological discussion, but we will return to it in section 3.

5. One could claim that it would be a logical step to expand the circle to the developing countries, but the development the past 50 years seems to suggest that a certain measure of self-interest is necessary, if things as re to change. And here climate change, due to its global nature, will ensure that the developed world will not just solve its own problems, as these problems are intrinsically linked to the problems of the developing world when it comes to global warming. There is thus a slight chance that at least in this respect the climate changes could bring the world closer together