Abstract
Historically, academic debates on the sustainable development discourse have tended to sideline the influence of religion faith traditions. However, in the last two decades, with the growing instability in the social, economic, and environmental realms of the global economy, there has been intensive search for new paradigms and frameworks to guide human understanding of the interrelationship between human well-being and environmental protection and foster new forms of environmental activism at the ground level. This work intends to contribute to this emerging area of research by presenting how faith traditions can help to provide alternative explanations to deal with contemporary environmental challenges by creating alternative models of production and consumption in society, as well as providing individual motivation for pro-environmental behaviors. The chapters presented in this edited volume weave together the economic, ethical, cultural, and societal dimensions of varied Eastern and Western faith traditions and discusses their applicability to contemporary environmental problems. The work presents three main pathways through which faith-based traditions can help in steering mainstream sustainable development discourses in a new direction – promotion of ethical values, fostering new forms of ecological activism, and inculcating pro-environmental behaviors. The introductory chapter presents an analytical basis for understanding the causes behind sustainability challenges from a faith-based perspective and how these would lead to alternative adaptation and mitigation policies, discussed in the subsequent chapters.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Alliance for Religion and Conservation (ARC) was a UK-based organization founded by Prince Philip in 1995. This organization aimed to help major religions of the world develop environmental programs based on their core values, teachings, and beliefs. Martin Palmer, the secretary general of the ARC, announced its closure in June 2019.
References
Abdelzaher, D. M., & Abdelzaher, A. (2017). Beyond environmental regulations: Exploring the potential of “eco-Islam” in boosting environmental ethics within SMEs in Arab markets. Journal of Business Ethics, 145(2), 357–371.
Abeydeera, S., Kearins, K., & Tregidga, H. (2016). Buddhism, sustainability and organizational practices fertile ground? The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 61, 44–70.
Alliance for Religion and Conservation. (n.d.). ARC and the faiths. http://www.arcworld.org/arc_and_the_faiths.html
Banerjee, S. B., & Bonnefous, A. M. (2011). Stakeholder management and sustainability strategies in the French nuclear industry. Business Strategy and the Environment, 20(2), 124–140.
Bauer, A., & Menrad, K. (2019). Standing up for the Paris agreement: Do global climate targets influence individuals’ greenhouse gas emissions? Environmental Science & Policy, 99, 72–79.
Baumol, W. J., & Oates, W. E. (1988). The theory of environmental policy. Cambridge university press.
Bouckaert, L., & Zsolnai, L. (2012). Spirituality and business: An interdisciplinary overview. Society and Economy, 34(3), 489–514.
Brekke, K. A., & Johansson-Stenman, O. (2008). The behavioural economics of climate change. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 24(2), 280–297.
Briassoulis, H. (1999). Who plans whose sustainability? Alternative roles for planners. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 42(6), 889–902.
Carlsson, F., & Johansson-Stenman, O. (2012). Behavioral economics and environmental policy. Annual Review of Resource Economics, 4(1), 75–99.
Clements, J. M., McCright, A. M., & Xiao, C. (2014). Green Christians? An empirical examination of environmental concern within the US general public. Organization & Environment, 27(1), 85–102.
Daniels, P. (2007). Buddhism and the transformation to sustainable economies. Society and Economy, 29(2), 155–180.
Daniels, P. L. (2010). Climate change, economics, and Buddhism—Part 2: New views and practices for sustainable world economies. Ecological Economics, 69(5), 962–972.
Ehrenfeld, J. R., & Hoffman, A. J. (2013). Flourishing: A frank conversation about sustainability. Stanford University Press.
Fehr, E., & Schmidt, K. M. (2006). The economics of fairness, reciprocity and altruism–experimental evidence and new theories. In Handbook of the economics of giving, altruism and reciprocity (Vol. 1, pp. 615–691).
Felix, R., & Braunsberger, K. (2016). I believe therefore I care: The relationship between religiosity, environmental attitudes, and green product purchase in Mexico. International Marketing Review, 33(1), 137–155.
Francis, P., & McDonagh, S. (2016). On care for our common home, Laudato Si’: The encyclical of Pope Francis on the environment. Orbis Books.
Gottlieb, R. S. (Ed.). (2010). Religion and the environment (Vol. 1). Routledge.
GPN. (n.d.). Green Pilgrimage network. http://www.arcworld.org/projectsa1c5.html?projectID=629
Grzeda, M. (2019). Tikkun Olam: Exploring a spiritual path to sustainability. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 16(5), 413–427.
Guardian. (2009). Impact of religion will have “deeper roots” than Copenhagen. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/nov/02/impact-religion-copenhagen
Hallin, A., Karrbom-Gustavsson, T., & Dobers, P. (2021). Transition towards and of sustainability—Understanding sustainability as performative. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(4), 1948–1957.
Hamilton, C. (2008). The freedom paradox: Towards a post-secular ethics. Allen & Unwin.
Intezari, A. (2015). Integrating wisdom and sustainability: Dealing with instability. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(7), 617–627.
Jenkins, W., & Chapple, C. K. (2011). Religion and environment. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 36(1), 441–463.
Johnston, L. F. (2014a). Sustainability as a global faith? The religious dimensions of sustainability and personal risk. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 82(1), 47–69.
Johnston, L. F. (2014b). Religion and sustainability: Social movements and the politics of the environment. Routledge.
Johnston, P., Everard, M., Santillo, D., & Robèrt, K. H. (2007). Reclaiming the definition of sustainability. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 14(1), 60–66.
Kirton, G., & Greene, A. M. (2021). The dynamics of managing diversity and inclusion: A critical approach. Routledge.
Knetsch, J. L. (2010). Values of gains and losses: reference states and choice of measure. Environmental and Resource Economics, 46, 179–188.
Landrum, N. E., & Ohsowski, B. (2018). Identifying worldviews on corporate sustainability: A content analysis of corporate sustainability reports. Business Strategy and the Environment, 27(1), 128–151.
Lefkowitz, J. (2017). Ethics and values in industrial-organizational psychology. Routledge.
Markusen, A. (2003). Fuzzy concepts, scanty evidence, policy distance: The case for rigour and policy relevance in critical regional studies. Regional Studies, 37(6–7), 701–717.
Marques, J. (2010). Toward greater consciousness in the 21st century workplace: How Buddhist practices fit in. Journal of Business Ethics, 92(2), 211–225.
McCullough, M. E., & Willoughby, B. L. (2009). Religion, self-regulation, and self-control: Associations, explanations, and implications. Psychological Bulletin, 135(1), 69.
Mongsawad, P. (2010). The philosophy of the sufficiency economy: A contribution to the theory of development. Asia Pacific Development Journal, 17(1), 123.
Munn, R. E. (Ed.). (2002). Encyclopedia of global environmental change. Wiley.
Narayanan, Y. (2013). Religion and sustainable development: Analysing the connections. Sustainable Development, 21(2), 131–139.
Pace, S. (2013). Does religion affect the materialism of consumers? An empirical investigation of Buddhist ethics and the resistance of the self. Journal of Business Ethics, 112(1), 25–46.
Pew Research Centre. (2017). Global religious landscape. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/
Prill, S. E. (2015). Sikhi and sustainability: Sikh approaches to environmental advocacy. Sikh Formations, 11(1–2), 223–242.
Rakodi, C. (2012). Religion and development: Subjecting religious perceptions and organisations to scrutiny. Development in Practice, 22(5–6), 621–633.
Sandefur, R. L., & Laumann, E. O. (2009). A paradigm for social capital. In Knowledge and social capital: Foundations and applications (pp. 69–87). Routledge.
Scales, I. R. (2014). Green consumption, ecolabelling and capitalism’s environmental limits. Geography Compass, 8(7), 477–489.
Schwab, K., & Zahidi, S. (2020). Global competitiveness report: Special edition 2020. World Economic Forum.
Seiple, C. (2016). What faith can do for global systemic challenges. In World economic forum, ed., the role of faith in systemic global challenges. Geneva: World economic forum (pp. 5–6).
Shiva, V. (1988). Staying alive: Women, ecology, and survival in India (Vol. 84). Kali for Women.
Singh, N. (2022a). Bioenergy and Ecosocialism. In The Routledge handbook on ecosocialism (pp. 320–327). Routledge.
Singh, N. (2022b). Sikhism and sustainability: New approaches to environmental ethics. In Faith traditions and practices in the workplace volume I (pp. 37–61). Palgrave Macmillan.
Singh, N. (2022c). Sikhism and Covid-19: Ethics of community service and activism. Sikh Formations, 1–13.
Singh, K., & Clark, J. S. (Eds.). (2016). Voices from religions on sustainable development. BMZ.
Singh, P., & Singh, N. (2019). Political economy of bioenergy transitions in developing countries: A case study of Punjab, India. World Development, 124, 104630.
Song, H. C. (2020). Sufficiency economy philosophy: Buddhism-based sustainability framework in Thailand. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(8), 2995–3005.
Starik, M., & Rands, G. P. (1995). Weaving an integrated web: Multilevel and multisystem perspectives of ecologically sustainable organizations. Academy of Management Review, 20(4), 908–935.
Stern, N. (2008). The economics of climate change. American Economic Review, 98(2), 1–37.
Summer, J. (2005). Sustainability and the civil commons: Rural communities in the age of globalization. University of Toronto Press.
Vu, M. C., & Burton, N. (2021). Bring your non-self to work? The interaction between self-decentralization and moral reasoning. Journal of Business Ethics, 181(2), 427–449.
Vu, M. C., Singh, N., Burton, N., & Chu, I. (2022). Introduction: Faith traditions in unprecedented times. In Faith traditions and practices in the workplace volume I (pp. 3–14). Palgrave Macmillan.
WCED, S. W. S. (1987). World commission on environment and development. Our Common Future, 17(1), 1–91.
Welford, R. J. (1998). Corporate environmental management, technology, and sustainable development: Postmodern perspectives and the need for a critical research agenda. Business Strategy and the Environment, 7(1), 1–12.
Will, J. A., & Cochran, J. K. (1995). God helps those who help themselves. The effects of religious affiliation, religiosity, and deservedness on generosity toward the poor. Sociology of Religion, 56(3), 327–338.
WWF. (2022). How can you help tackle climate change. https://www.wwf.org.uk/climate-change-and-global-warming
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Singh, N., Vu, M.C., Chu, I., Burton, N. (2023). Faith Traditions and Sustainability: Key Discourses and Emerging Field. In: Singh, N., Vu, M.C., Chu, I., Burton, N. (eds) Faith Traditions and Sustainability. Management, Change, Strategy and Positive Leadership. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41245-5_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41245-5_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-41244-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-41245-5
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)