Climate, Spirituality, & Faith

For millennia humans have sought, through spirituality and religion, to answer questions about the place of our species within the universe; the purpose of individual existence; the relationship of individuals to the broader group; and the right way to live in the world in the face of pain, suffering, and confusion.

All of these themes are relevant to current situation we humans face with climate disruption. So it is not surprising that many who are struggling with climate anxiety, depression, and grief, turn to spiritual and religious teachings to help understand, make meaning of, and find guidance around the experience of living on a damaged planet.

This scene from the film First Reformed illustrates one aspect of this struggle to make sense of the ecological crisis:

While First Reformed explores these themes through a Christian lens, ecological- and climate-related themes can be, and have been, explored by people of many different faiths. Considering the scope of the challenge, we may need the accumulated wisdom, leadership, and community of many religious and spiritual teachings if we are to to find a way forward (while hopefully leaving behind those perspectives and viewpoints that stand in the way of compassion and justice).

Various religious writers and teachers, as well as psychologists and journalists, have written about the climate change in relation to spirituality and faith. Some write specifically from a religious perspective; others use themes, such as mindfulness, that are rooted in spiritual traditions but have been integrated into secular fields, like psychology. We seek, here, to provide a few examples of this discourse, from a range of spiritual perspectives.

Whether you follow a particular faith, are non-religious, or are an atheist, we encourage you to explore the ways in which various teachings have approached the issue of climate change (for the record, Climate & Mind does not endorse a particular spiritual or religious perspective).

One place to start is Yale’s Forum on Religion and Ecology. Among other resources, they provide a list of Climate Change Statements from a range of world religions. In addition, here is a short selection of resources by writers, psychologists, activists, and spiritual teachers, from a range of faiths and spiritual perspectives, on themes relevant to Climate & Mind:

(listed in alphabetical order by author)

• Confino, Jo. (2013) “Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh: only love can save us from climate change.” The Guardian. Jan 21, 2013.

• Chungyalpa, Dekila (2020). Meditation practices to deal with eco-anxiety and climate distress (in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition) via the Healthy Minds Innovations Soundcloud page.

• Davenport, Leslie (2019). “As a Psychotherapist Treating Eco-Anxiety and Eco-Grief, Mindfulness Helps. Sometimes.” Medium, July 26, 2019.

• Dharma Action Network for Climate Engagement (DANCE) - “a space for connecting to explore the breadth of possible Dharma responses to climate change and related issues.”

• Goldberg, D et al. (2019) “Engaging Christians in the Issue of Climate Change.” Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. July 12, 2019.

• Hanh, T. N., Stanley, J., Loy, D., Tucker, M. E., Grim, J., Berry, W., ... & Macy, J. (2013). Spiritual ecology: The cry of the earth. The Golden Sufi Center.

• Hanh, T. N. (2021). Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. HarperOne.

• Hayhoe, K. (2019) “I’m a Climate Scientist Who Believes in God. Hear Me Out.” NYT, October 31, 2019.

• Ingram, Catherine (2019). “Facing Extinction.” Catherineingram.com. March 4, 2019.

• Lingo, Kaira Jewel (2019). “Befriending Eco-Anxiety: A Practice of Deep Adaptation.” December 13, 2019.

• Loy, D. (2019). Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis. Wisdom Publications.

• Macy, J., & Johnstone, C. (2012). Active hope: How to face the mess we're in without going crazy.

• Macy (2021). World as Lover, World as Self. Parallax Press.

• Hannah Malcolm has put together an “Ecology for your Theology Bookshelf” - a list of “Eco theology/Environment and Christianity reading recommendations.”

• No Place Like Home Podcast, particularly Season 3 which is focused on religion and spirituality

  • “Interbeing, Zen Meditation, & the Next Right Thing with Dr. Kritee Kanko”

  • “This World as a Place of Worship with Ibrahim Abdul-Matin”

  • “Being Christlike in the Climate Crisis with Science Mike”

  • “Witchcraft, Healing, and Desire with Jamie Lee Finch”

• McDuff, M. (2012). Sacred acts: how churches are working to protect earth's climate. New Society Publishers.

• One Earth Sangha (organization)

  • “One Earth Sangha brings the essential wisdom and practices from the Buddhist tradition to collective engagement on critical ecological crises. We assert that activism is more effective and sustainable when grounded in mindfulness and compassion and that social engagement is an essential part of the spiritual path. We bring these two forces, and their corresponding communities, together through teachings, community building and mindful action.”

• Pihkala, P. (2018). “Eco-Anxiety, Tragedy, and Hope: Psychological and Spiritual Dimensions of Climate Change.” Zygon, 53(2), 545-569.

• Pope Francis (2015). “Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for our Common Home.

• Religions of the World and Ecology Series (Harvard University Press) - While not specific to issues of climate change, this series reviews how a number of world religion and spiritual traditions address ecology:

  • Buddhism and Ecology: The Interconnection of Dharma and Deeds by Tucker, Mary Evelyn & Williams, Duncan Ryūken

  • Confucianism and Ecology: The Interrelation of Heaven, Earth, and Humans by Tucker, Mary Evelyn & Berthrong, John

  • Christianity and Ecology: Seeking the Well-Being of Earth and Humans by Hessel, Dieter T. & Ruether, Rosemary Radford

  • Hinduism and Ecology: The Intersection of Earth, Sky, and Water by Chapple, Christopher Key & Tucker, Mary Evelyn

  • Daoism and Ecology: Ways within a Cosmic Landscape by Girardot, N. J., Miller, James & Liu, Xiaogan

  • Indigenous Traditions and Ecology: The Interbeing of Cosmology and Community by Grim, John A.

  • Jainism and Ecology: Nonviolence in the Web of Life by Chapple, Christopher Key

  • Judaism and Ecology: Created World and Revealed Word by Tirosh-Samuelson, Hava

  • Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust by Foltz, Richard C., Denny, Frederick M. & Baharuddin, Azizan

  • Ecology and the Environment: Perspectives from the Humanities by Swearer, Donald K.

  • Ecologies of Human Flourishing by Swearer, Donald K. & McGarry, Susan Lloyd

• Schade, L. D., & Bullitt-Jonas, M. (2019). Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

• Stephenson, Wen (2019). “Are We Doomed? Yes! No! Don’t Know! A ‘Bad Buddhist’ Manifesto.” Medium. October 6, 2019.

• Thanissara (2015). Time to Stand Up: An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.

• Vaughn Lee, Llewellyn.

  • Vaughan-Lee, Llewellyn (2019). “Climate Justice and the Living Earth.” March 24, 2019. St. Ethelburga’s Blog.

  • Vaughan-Lee, Llewellyn (2015). “Shifting the Climate Debate Onto Sacred Ground.” Huffington Post, July 2, 2015.

• White-Hammond, Mariama (2018). “Climate Change and Community: An Interview with Reverend Mariama White-Hammond.” ClimateX Team, October 22, 2018.

We are actively looking to expand this list.
If you have recommendations for resources, please contact us at:
[ climateandmind@gmail.com ]