The Greening of Religion: Ethics and the Environment

Over the past half-century, the Christian churches—and to some extent the other world religions—have made a momentous shift toward incorporating environmentalism into their teachings. The change is evident in the emergence of ideas such as integral ecology in Catholicism, eco-kashrut in Judaism, and green Buddhism, as well as various forms of religious environmental activism.

Ethicist and author William Barbieri explores how and why religious traditions have adapted their teachings in response to ecological challenges, and comments on what we can learn from this process regarding the role of religions in the modern world. Barbieri discusses the ethical ramifications of the greening of Christianity, as well as other models of ecological spirituality and ethics.

This is a presentation of the Smithsonian Institution’s Earth Optimism series.

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