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

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.sidebar##

Published May 20, 2024
https://doi.org/10.71064/spu.amjr.1.1.257
Download
PDF
Statistic
Vol. 1 No. 1 (2024): Special Issue - African Multidisciplinary Journal of Research (AMJR)

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.main##

Benjamin Sarbah
St. Paul's University
Deborah Duodu
Compassionate International Ghana

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.

##plugins.themes.academic_pro.article.details##

How to Cite
Sarbah, B., & Duodu, D. . (2024). Understanding the Complex Interplay between Religion, Belief Systems and Climate Change Attitudes: A Systematic Review. African Multidisciplinary Journal of Research, 1(1), 28–42. https://doi.org/10.71064/spu.amjr.1.1.257

References

  1. Arbuckle, M. (2017). The interaction of religion, political ideology, and concern about climate change in the United States. Society and Natural Resources, 30, 177-194. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2016.1209267
  2. Atanasova, D., & Koteyko, N. (2017). Metaphors in Guardian Online and Mail Online Opinion-page Content on Climate Change: War, Religion, and Politics. Environmental Communication, 11, 452-469.
  3. Carleton, T. A., Jina, A. S., Delgado, M., Greenstone, M., Houser, T., Hsiang, S. M.,
  4. ... Zhang, A. T. (2019). Valuing the Global Mortality Consequences of Climate Change Accounting for Adaptation Costs and Benefits. PSN: Global Warming and Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3224365
  5. Collet, B. A. (2014). Introduction to the Special Issue: Probing the Nexus of Migration, Religion, and Education. Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 8, 55-58. DOI:10.1080/15595692.2013.857305
  6. Dale, A., Robinson, J., King, L. A., Burch, S., Newell, R., Shaw, A., & Jost, F. (2020). Meeting the climate change challenge: local government climate action in British Columbia, Canada. Climate Policy, 20, 866-880. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2019.1651244
  7. Furlong, C., & Vignoles, V. L. (2021). Social Identification in Collective Climate Activism: Predicting Participation in the Environmental Movement, Extinction Rebellion. Identity, 21(1), 20-35.
  8. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2020.1856664
  9. Fusco, E. J., Snider, A. G., & Luo, S. (2012). Perception of global climate change as a mediator of the effects of major and religious affiliation on college students’ environmentally responsible behavior. Environmental Education Research, 18, 815-830. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2012.672965
  10. Ghosh, S., & Misra, C. (2010). Assessing Hydrological Impacts of Climate Change: Modeling Techniques and Challenges. The Open Hydrology Journal, 4, 115- 121. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874378101004010115
  11. Gregorio, M. D., Nurrochmat, D. R., Fatorelli, L., Pramova, E., Sari, I. M., Locatelli, B., & Brockhaus, M. (2015). Integrating Mitigation and Adaptation in Climate and Land Use Policies in Indonesia: A Policy Document Analysis. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.cifor.org/knowledge/publication/5953/
  12. Hornsey, M. J., Harris, E. A., Bain, P. G., & Fielding, K. S. (2016). Meta-analyses of the determinants and outcomes of belief in climate change. Nature Climate Change, 6, 622-626. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2943
  13. Keohane, R. O. (2014). The Global Politics of Climate Change: Challenge for Political Science. PS: Political Science & Politics, 48, 19-26. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096514001541
  14. Khurshid, F. (2013). Religion Wise Distribution of Population in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladhak Province Province Population Persons Hindu Muslims Christians Sikhs Buddhists Jains. https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/11399
  15. Kilburn, H. W. (2014). Religion and foundations of American public opinion towards global climate change. Environmental Politics, 23, 473-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2013.859777
  16. Lemoine, D. (2018). Estimating the Consequences of Climate Change from Variation in Weather. Political Economy - Development: Environment eJournal. https://doi.org/10.3386/W25008
  17. Morrison, M., Duncan, R., & Parton, K. A. (2015). Religion Does Matter for Climate Change Attitudes and Behavior. PLOS ONE, 10.
  18. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0134868
  19. Murphy, C., Tembo, M., Phiri, A., Yerokun, O., & Grummell, B. (2015). Adapting to climate change in shifting landscapes of belief. Climatic Change, 134, 101- 114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1498-8
  20. Nunn, P. D., Mulgrew, K. E., Scott-Parker, B., Hine, D. W., Marks, A. D., Mahar, D., & Maebuta, J. (2016). Spirituality and attitudes towards Nature in the Pacific Islands: insights for enabling climate-change adaptation. Climatic Change, 136, 477-493. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1646-9
  21. Orellano, A., Valor, C., & Chuvieco, E. (2020). The Influence of Religion on Sustainable Consumption: A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12197901
  22. Ross, L. A., Arrow, K. J., Cialdini, R. B., Diamond-Smith, N. G., Diamond, J. M., Dunne, J. A., Ehrlich, P. R. (2016). The Climate Change Challenge and Barriers to the Exercise of Foresight Intelligence. BioScience, 66, 363-370. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw025
  23. Smith, K., York, R., & Ehrlich, P. R. (2016). The Climate Change Challenge and Barriers to the Exercise of Foresight Intelligence. BioScience, 66, 363-370. DOI:10.1093/biosci/biw025