Understanding the Complex Interplay between Religion, Belief Systems and Climate Change Attitudes: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The relationship between religion and individuals' attitudes and actions towards the
environment in the face of global climate change is a complex and captivating
subject of academic inquiry, with both positive and alarming findings highlighting
the intricate interplay between these key variables. This systematic review highlights
the lack of precision and clarity in understanding the connection between religion,
belief systems, and climate change, leading to inconsistent findings and hindering a
comprehensive understanding of this relationship. The research examines how
religious beliefs and moral convictions influence attitudes and responses to climate
change, offering insights through reviewing and integrating past research. It also
analyses the impact of religion and belief systems on attitudes, identifies shaping
factors, highlights research gaps, and suggests future exploration. With a sample
size of 10 (n = 10), this review provides a structured approach to the research field
by analysing and synthesising themes in the literature on religion, belief systems and
climate change. Quantitative and qualitative methods were rigorously employed to
examine variables, ensuring validity and transparency. Researchers conducted a
comprehensive search across multiple scholarly databases, following PRISMA
guidelines to include high-quality sources. Despite challenges, scholars maximized
selected databases' strengths, maintained strict source criteria, and employed
diverse objective research approaches to examine publications, variables, data,
interpretations, and research trajectories in the field of religion's impact on climate
change attitudes and actions. The findings revealed multiple factors influencing
climate change perceptions and highlighted, creating the need for further
investigation to address gaps and limitations in the field. The review recommended
future research on the link between afterlife beliefs, moral emotions, virtues, and
sustainable consumption. It also highlighted the potential research on comparative
climate change perspectives across religious groups, the role of religious language
in climate communication, and longitudinal studies tracking climate attitude shifts
with changing religious beliefs.