Introduction

Climate Change and Religion - A Review of Existing Research

Authors

  • Robin Globus Veldman University of Florida
  • Andrew Szasz UC Santa Cruz
  • Randolph Haluza-DeLay Kings University College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jsrnc.v6i3.255

Keywords:

climate change, moral issues, religion, social-scientific perspective

Abstract

Although we have a large body of work on ‘religion and nature’, much less has been written about the specific question of ‘religion and climate change’. Moreover, to date much of that literature on religion and climate change is theological and prescriptive, laying out arguments for why it is legitimate for believers/adherents of one faith or another to be concerned about climate change. Comparatively little can be characterized as empirical or social scientific, examining what faiths and their adherents are actually saying or doing about climate change. To our knowledge, this special issue will therefore be the first devoted solely to beginning to answer these questions from a social-scientific perspective.

References

Atkinson, David. 2008. Renewing the Face of the Earth: A Theological and Pastoral Response to Climate Change (Norwich, UK: Canterbury Press).

Barna Group. 2007. ‘Born Again Christians Remain Skeptical, Divided about Global Warming’, September 17. Online: http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/20-donorscause/95-born-again-christians-remain-skeptical-dividedabout-global-warming.

———. 2008. ‘Evangelicals Go “Green” with Caution’. September 22. Online: http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/23-evangelicals-goqgreenq-with-caution.

Barnosky, Anthony D. et al. 2012. ‘Approaching a State Shift in Earth’s Biosphere’, Nature 486: 52-58. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature11018.

Brulle, Robert, Jason Carmichael, and J. Craig Jenkins. 2012. ‘Shifting Public Opinion on Climate Change: An Empirical Assessment of Factors In

Published

2012-11-15

How to Cite

Veldman, R. G., Szasz, A., & Haluza-DeLay, R. (2012). Introduction: Climate Change and Religion - A Review of Existing Research. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, 6(3), 255-275. https://doi.org/10.1558/jsrnc.v6i3.255