Despite the well-accepted conviction that religious teachings can significantly contribute to addressing the ecological crisis and promoting environmental flourishing, there is a sobering truth that we must confront. The path towards realizing religious ideals is both profound and transformative, yet it is a journey fraught with length and difficulty. Many who set foot upon this path do not reach their intended destination, and some may not even choose to embark on it at all. Moreover, even if religious and spiritual self-cultivation does occur among adherents of religious communities, addressing the pressing social and environmental concerns of our time requires collaboration and support not only from religious institutions and individuals but also from various other human disciplines and institutions. As Mahatma Ghandi noted, the “human mind or human society is not divided into watertight compartments called social, political, and religious. All act and react upon one another.” The process of self-cultivation teaches us a fundamental lesson: we are not solitary beings in our existential reality, nor in the construction of our lives and the shaping of our world. Only those who have yet to undergo this transformative process fall into the illusion of individualism, believing that the future of our world solely rests upon the actions of individuals (or individuals like ourselves), divorced from the strength of diverse communities. Hence, it becomes paramount for religions to adopt an interdisciplinary, dialectical, and dialogical approach to address the myriad concerns that plague our world. By fostering collaborative efforts that span across disciplines and embrace dialogue, religions can play a pivotal role in tackling the challenges of our time.
In May 1992, 150 religious leaders and scientists who had gathered in Washington D.C. issued a historic joint appeal for the environment. Among the signatories included the late Carl Sagan, a prominent scientist, author, and communicator as well as the Passionist priest Thomas Berry who was widely acclaimed for his ecotheology, environmental advocacy, and cultural and religious scholarship. In the opening sentence of the statement, the signatories admitted that they belonged to groups that “for centuries, often have traveled different roads.” Nevertheless, the escalating environmental crisis had brought them together “in a common endeavor to preserve the home we share.” The statement goes on to declare:
"We believe that science and religion, working together, have an essential contribution to make toward any significant mitigation and resolution of the world environmental crisis. What good are the most fervent moral imperatives if we do not understand the dangers and how to avoid them? What good is all the data in the world without a steadfast moral compass? Many of the consequences of our present assault on the environment, even if halted today, will take decades and centuries to play themselves out. How will our children and grandchildren judge our stewardship of the Earth? What will they think of us? Do we not have a solemn obligation to leave them a better world and to insure the integrity of nature itself? Insofar as our peril arises from a neglect of moral values, human pride, arrogance, inattention, greed, improvidence, and a penchant for the short-term over the long, religion has an essential role to play. Insofar as our peril arises from our ignorance of the intricate interconnectedness of nature, science has an essential role to play."
In addition to highlighting the collaboration between science and religion, the signatories emphasized the imperative of a unified effort involving governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations to address the environmental crisis. This joint statement holds immense significance, as it reflects a convergence of hearts and minds among individuals from historically complex sides. The intricacies of this relationship stem, in part, from the personal beliefs held by these individuals. While the popular portrayal (at least in the West) often characterizes the link between science and religion as "antagonistic," this is not entirely true. Contrary to a common assumption, not all scientists are atheists or anti-religion; many, in fact, embrace specific religious traditions or maintain private spiritual beliefs. Conversely, individuals of religious faith are just as likely to acknowledge and accept numerous scientific theories and explanations for natural phenomena.
Historically, religious institutions have played a role in scientific research and discoveries, contributing to the development of science as we know it today. Scientific research, conferences, symposiums, and journal publications continue to take place in academic institutions affiliated with various religions around the world, including at the Vatican, the central seat of the Catholic Church. Despite a perceived divergence during the Enlightenment, it is essential to acknowledge that science and religion still maintain a relationship with one another, even though defining its exact nature might be challenging. Regarding the environmental crisis, science and religion are inherently interconnected. They have both been implicated in the crisis due to philosophical approaches or outlooks that contribute to anthropocentric attitudes towards the natural world that results in its exploitation and degradation. The responsibility that each side bears in the environmental crisis is a topic that has been extensively discussed in the environmental literature so there is no need for us to delve into it for the purpose of this book.
The environmental crisis has compelled both science and religion to confront their respective roles in contributing as well as finding a solution to the crisis. Moreover, it has provided an opportunity to recognize the symbiotic relationship between these two fields and the unique strengths each brings to the table. Religion cannot merely criticize the scientific view of nature as an object for investigation, manipulation, and control. It must also acknowledge that resolving the environmental crisis necessitates accepting the critical role of scientific expertise. Across various traditions, religious leaders have come to the agreement that addressing the environmental crisis requires understanding the evidence as made available through scientific investigations and consensus.
The openness in religious attitude towards science is clearly evident in the declarations by various religions regarding climate change, one of the pressing ecological issues of our time. In a statement titled “The Time to Act is Now: A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change” (2015), a significant portion of the statement is devoted to citing scientific evidence of climate change, emphasizing the overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity is driving environmental breakdown on a global scale. The signatories affirmed the importance of scientific evidence and reports from organizations such as the IPCC, United Nations, European Union, and International Union for Conservation of Nature in understanding and addressing climate change. They also supported targets that had been proposed by the scientific community.
References to scientific evidence also constitute a significant part of the Islamic Declaration on Climate Change (2015) in which the first section of the statement is largely a scientific presentation on the state of the world’s climate. The statement also affirms, “We note that the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (UNEP, 2005) and backed by over 1300 scientists from 95 countries, found that ‘overall, people have made greater changes to ecosystems in the last half of the 20th century than at any time in human history… these changes have enhanced human well-being, but have been accompanied by ever increasing degradation (of our environment).’”
Likewise, in the preparation process for the encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis and his collaborators consulted extensively with scientists. The act of listening to the scientific community and presenting information based on scientific consensus is reflected in the very first chapter of the encyclical. Here the pope wrote, “A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system” and that “a number of scientific studies indicate that most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides and others) released mainly as a result of human activity.” Commentators have observed that Pope Francis’ encyclical has contributed significantly to the global dialogue between science and religion by increasing its visibility and efficacy.
It goes without saying that essential as science is, neither Pope Francis nor any religious leader would advocate science to be the sole approach to addressing the environmental crisis. Otherwise, there would not be any need for a discipline called religious environmentalism. However, the dynamic interchange between science and religion, characterized by their distinct approaches to comprehending reality, can foster a rich and fruitful dialogue for both domains. Religion needs the concrete grounding evidence provided by science, and science needs the support of religion in order to translate dry scientific propositions into moral and spiritual imperatives to be carried out by people of faith. As religious leaders across traditions have consistently maintained, no matter how many technical solutions science may propose, they will prove unsustainable in addressing the profound issues plaguing our world if humanity loses its moral direction. Without the great motivations that inspire harmony, sacrifice, and compassion towards others, any technological advancement becomes inadequate.
Prominent scientists such as Thomas Lovejoy, E.O. Wilson, Jane Lubchenco, Peter Raven, and Ursula Goodenough understand that religious and cultural values play important roles in addressing environmental concerns. Holmes Rolston III asserted that science and religion need to enter into dialogue on the matter of the environment because there are fundamental human concerns that are relevant to both spheres. “Both science and religion are challenged by the environmental crisis, both to reevaluate the natural world and to reevaluate their dialogue with each other. Both are thrown into researching fundamental theory and practice in the face of an upheaval unprecedented in human history, indeed in planetary history.”
Just as the all-encompassing reality of the environmental crisis has compelled religious leaders to incorporate scientific terminology into their articulation on the subject, we have seen scientists who do not adopt traditional theistic worldviews speak of the need for caring for the planet with a vision of the sacred. In the early 1990s, a group of scientists including Stephen Jay Gould, Hans Bethe, Stephen Schneider, and Carl Sagan issued a statement which contained the following sentiment:
"As scientists, many of us have had profound personal experiences of awe and reverence before the universe. We understand that what is regarded as sacred is more likely to be treated with care and respect. Our planetary home should be so regarded. Efforts to safeguard and cherish the environment should be infused with a vision of the sacred."
It is heartening to see that over the years the dialogue between science and religion related to environmental concerns has continued. This was evident in the Joint Appeal signed by religious leaders across traditions and scientists in October 2021 in a meeting titled “Faith and Science: Towards COP26.” In the Executive Summary, it is stated:
"Today, after months of dialogue between faith leaders and scientists, we come together united to raise awareness of the unprecedented challenges that threaten our beautiful common home. Our faiths and spiritualities teach a duty to care for the human family and for the environment in which it lives. We are deeply interdependent with each other and with the natural world. We are not limitless masters of our planet and its resources. Multiple crises facing humanity are ultimately linked to a crisis of values, ethical and spiritual. We are caretakers of the natural environment with the vocation to care for it for future generations and the moral obligation to cooperate in the healing of the planet. We must address these challenges using the knowledge of science and the wisdom of religion. We must think long-term for the sake of the whole of humanity. Now is the time to take transformative action as a common response."
Indeed, scientists and religious leaders would prove themselves hypocritical if they are unable to dialogue with one another while claiming that everything in the universe is interconnected. Science through its empirical observations have observed interconnectedness within the smallest ecosystems on earth as well as within the cosmic web. Religious reflection and contemplation have also yielded similar insights. In a poem titled "Please Call Me by My True Names" the late Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh describes the various ways that he is present in the world, in a tiny bird still being nurtured in a nest, in a frog swimming in a pond, in a malnourished girl in Uganda. One of the verses reads:
Look deeply: every second I am arriving
to be a bud on a Spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
One of the points that the poem wishes to communicate is that in this vast web of life, we are all interconnected, and our shared responsibility to each other transcends the limitations of labels and past experiences. Embracing the journey of self-discovery, we realize that we have the potential to transform ourselves into something new, breaking free from any constraints that may hold us back. Indeed, life is a tapestry of intertwined experiences, where joy and pain walk hand in hand. We come to understand that one enriches the other, and both are integral to our growth and understanding. Instead of fearing pain, we acknowledge it as an essential part of our existence, guiding us to learn and evolve. At the heart of a fulfilling life lies compassion, recognizing the interconnectedness of all beings. With a compassionate perspective, we cultivate peace and happiness. We refrain from judging others, understanding that each individual has their unique journey, and we honor and respect their path.
Scientific investigations and religious contemplation affirm that in the grand order of existence, every thread and filament is intricately woven together. When we delve into this profound realization, we embark on a journey of awakening. We become aware of the consequences of our actions, for each choice we make sends ripples through the delicate fabric of life. As we gaze upon the interconnectedness of all things, we gain insight into the consequences of our missteps, but also discover the path to redemption and restoration. Acknowledging this truth, we embrace a sense of shared responsibility, recognizing that our actions are not isolated but impact the well-being of the whole ecosystem.
In this journey of collective guardianship, science and religion understand that the seeds they sow must be nurtured together. They cannot act alone because they are fundamentally responsible to care for one another, not as people of religion and people of science, but people of a common home. And they in turn care for that very home which they share and so will the generations that come after them.
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