Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Sustainable Development Goals in the Asian Context pp 41–68Cite as

Religious Environmentalism and Environmental Sustainability in Asia

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Communication, Culture and Change in Asia ((CCCA,volume 2))

Abstract

The phase of the eight millennium development goals (MDGs) adopted by the United Nations at the beginning of 2000 has given way to the program of seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) ratified in 2015, to be implemented until 2030. While the number of SDGs is more than twice that of MDGs and more comprehensive in outlook, examination of the individual goals indicates that most if not all of the SDGs are either directly related to environmental sustainability or indirectly concerned with the quality of the environment. This is not surprising because nations have realized, if somewhat late, that human well-being cannot be dissociated from the quality of ecosystems. The escalating global environmental crisis threatens economic and social stability and makes the innate human desire for happiness even more difficult to attain. The issue, moreover, has grown into something that cannot be confined to a single or even a few sectors of society, or that can be adequately addressed by politicians or scientists alone. Rather, achieving environmental sustainability, which is an essential component of the SDGs program, requires an interdisciplinary, dialectical, and dialogical approach involving a diverse collection of individuals, groups, organizations, and institutions. Political will, social and economic reforms, scientific and technological know-how, and religious and personal commitment are all part of the effort to address the environmental woes of the modern era. The role and contribution of religious systems and traditions for the achievement of SDGs , particularly in Asia, is the focus of this chapter. This chapter aims to present the following: (1) stating the reasons why religion is essential to the aspirations of the SDGs in Asia and (2) exploring how the major religions in Asia can contribute to promoting environmental sustainability by providing a framework for (a) assessing the root cause of environmental destruction; (b) envisioning a religious-based approach to how human beings could relate to the natural environment; and (c) presenting how religion promotes harmonious human-nature relationship through a program of self-cultivation and self-transformation . This chapter hopes to demonstrate that the task of achieving the SDGs in Asia is tied with the concern of religion and progress depends greatly on the improved state of human moral and spiritual well-being that religion aims to promote.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life (2016a, b),

  2. 2.

    Ibid.

  3. 3.

    Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life (2016a, b).

  4. 4.

    Nadeau (2014, 21).

  5. 5.

    The Vietnamese whose culture was profoundly affected by Chinese culture subsequently “Vietnamized” the Chinese word to derive the term “tôn giáo.”

  6. 6.

    Nadeau, Asian Religions, 21.

  7. 7.

    Ibid.

  8. 8.

    Ibid., 60.

  9. 9.

    Ibid., 4.

  10. 10.

    World Population, accessed March 24, 2015, http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/world_population.htm.

  11. 11.

    One may argue that even in societies where conventional religion is greatly diminished, much of the internalized values essential to the community are those rooted in religion. In other instances, conventional religions are replaced by other ideologies such as nationalism that arguably have some of the same characteristics as religion, such as transcendence and ritual.

  12. 12.

    Streng (1984, 2).

  13. 13.

    Ogbonnaya (2014, 55).

  14. 14.

    Cavanaugh (2009, 4). Although this view of religion is more prevalent in the West, globalization facilitates its transmission to Asia so that Asians may come to view religion and even themselves in a manner previously unthought of.

  15. 15.

    Ogbonnaya African Catholicism, 55.

  16. 16.

    Pope Francis (2014).

  17. 17.

    White (1967: 1206).

  18. 18.

    Ibid., 1205.

  19. 19.

    Tucker and Grim (1997, xvi).

  20. 20.

    Ibid., xi–xii.

  21. 21.

    Ibid., xviii.

  22. 22.

    Nasr (2007, 31).

  23. 23.

    Palmer and Finlay (2003, xiv).

  24. 24.

    Ibid., xvi.

  25. 25.

    Barclay (2007)

  26. 26.

    Stackhouse (2007, 57).

  27. 27.

    Sawyer (2015): Kindle edition.

  28. 28.

    Bhikkhu (1994).

  29. 29.

    Hargrove (2003, 175).

  30. 30.

    McShane (2007: 170).

  31. 31.

    Minteer (2008, 60).

  32. 32.

    Servaes (2014)

  33. 33.

    D.III.275.

  34. 34.

    Thera (2008, 4).

  35. 35.

    Ibid., 5.

  36. 36.

    Sahni (2007, 165).

  37. 37.

    Buddhadasa Bhikkhu’s ideas come from a number of works (Bhikkhu 2003, 2012) that have been compiled and translated by Grant A. Olson. Olson gives the title of his translation “A Notion of Buddhist Ecology.” In addition to the negative effect on nature, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu asserts that internal degeneration hinders spiritual progress.

  38. 38.

    Cafaro (2005, 148–149).

  39. 39.

    Meinhold (2011, 1186).

  40. 40.

    Ives (2013: 546).

  41. 41.

    Quoted in Pope Francis (2015, 8).

  42. 42.

    Pope John Paul II (2016)

  43. 43.

    Pope John Paul II (1990).

  44. 44.

    Ibid.

  45. 45.

    Callicott (1984: 299).

  46. 46.

    Sahni (2007, 80).

  47. 47.

    Norton (1984: 134).

  48. 48.

    Choi (2009: 168).

  49. 49.

    Nasr (1992, 96).

  50. 50.

    Hoffman and Sandelands (2005: 150).

  51. 51.

    Bonaventure (1978, 250).

  52. 52.

    Warner (2001: 154).

  53. 53.

    Jusoff and Samah (2011: 46).

  54. 54.

    Schaefer (2005: 786–803).

  55. 55.

    Hoffman and Sandelands (2005, 153).

  56. 56.

    Huyn, “Interreligious Dialogue,” 182.

  57. 57.

    Ibid, 183.

  58. 58.

    Cited in Butkus (2002: 20).

  59. 59.

    Gada (2014: 134).

  60. 60.

    Ibid.

  61. 61.

    Ibid.

  62. 62.

    Ibid.

  63. 63.

    Nasr, “Islam,” 95.

  64. 64.

    Jusoff and Sahman (2011, 57).

  65. 65.

    Küng (2004, 52).

  66. 66.

    Ibid., 53.

  67. 67.

    Smith (2009, 182).

  68. 68.

    Ibid.

  69. 69.

    Weiming (1998, 17).

  70. 70.

    Ibid.

  71. 71.

    There has already been quite a few panel discussions organized in academic as well as religious institutions to examine the impact that the encyclical has made on the issue of climate change.

  72. 72.

    The Tablet, “Laudato Si’ a major talking point at climate change talks in Paris,” accessed March 15, 2016, http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/2885/0/cop21-laudato-si-a-major-talking-point-at-climate-change-talks-in-paris.

  73. 73.

    onforb.es/rDpyGO.

  74. 74.

    Collins (1998, 22).

  75. 75.

    Kalupahana (1976, 81).

  76. 76.

    Even the historical Buddha lived through numerous lifetimes before achieving enlightenment.

  77. 77.

    Even in the lowest of the devas world, Cātummahārājika Devas, beings live an equivalent of 9000 human years. The beings in the highest levels of the Devas sphere live for tens of eons where they enjoy a myriad of sensual pleasures.

  78. 78.

    Someone who is a beggar in his present life may aim to be reborn with higher social status such as a doctor or businessman.

  79. 79.

    Smith (2009, 21).

  80. 80.

    Taylor (1990, 133).

  81. 81.

    Hansen (2010, 27).

  82. 82.

    Ibid.

  83. 83.

    Taylor, Confucianism, 133.

  84. 84.

    Hansen (2010, 27).

  85. 85.

    Ellwood and Alles (2007, 405).

  86. 86.

    S.II.12.

  87. 87.

    S.II.15.

  88. 88.

    S.III.22.

  89. 89.

    S.IV.35.

  90. 90.

    S.IV.35.

  91. 91.

    Keown (2001, 102).

  92. 92.

    Le Duc (2015, 42).

  93. 93.

    A 4:95.

  94. 94.

    Tucker and Berthrong (1998, xxxviii).

  95. 95.

    Keown (2007: 109–110).

  96. 96.

    Van Wensveen (2000, 167).

  97. 97.

    Pope Francis, Laudato Si, 224.

  98. 98.

    Ibid.

Abbreviations

A:

Aṅguttara

D:

Digha Nikāya

Dp:

Dhammapada

J:

Jātaka

M:

Majjhima Nikāya

S:

Saṃyutta Nikāya

References

  • Barclay, E. (2007, October 31). African fishermen find way of conservation in the Koran. The Christian Science Monitor October 31, 2007. Accessed 26 February 2016. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1031/p01s04-woaf.html

  • Bhikkhu, B. (1994). A buddhist response to contemporary dilemmas of human existence. Accessed 10 May 2012. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/response.html

  • Bhikkhu, B. (2003). (Trans.). The connected discourses of the buddha: A translation of the Saṃyutta Nikāya, 2nd edn. Boston: Wisdom Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhikkhu, B. (2012). (Trans.). The numerical discourses of the buddha: A complete translation of the Anguttara Nikaya. Annotated edition. Boston: Wisdom Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonaventure. (1978). The life of St. Francis. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Butkus, R. A. (2002). The stewardship of creation (pp. 17–23). The Centre for Christian Ethics at Baylor University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cafaro, P. (2005). Gluttony, arrogance, greed, and apathy: An exploration of environmental vice. In R. Sandler & P. Cafaro (Eds.), Environmental virtue ethics (pp. 135–158). New York: Rowman & Littlefiled Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Callicott, J. B. (1984). Non-anthropocentric value theory and environmental ethics. American Philosophical Quarterly, 21(4), 299–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavanaugh, W. T. (2009). The myth of religious violence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, H. M. (2009). Interreligious dialogue: Toward overcoming the eco-crisis. International Journal of Buddhist Thought & Culture, 12, 157–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, S. (1998). Nirvana and other buddhist felicities. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ellwood, R., & Alles, G. (2007). Encyclopedia of world religion. New York: Infobase Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gada, M. Y. (2014). Environmental ethics in Islam: Principles and perspectives. World Journal of Islamic History and Civilization, 4(4), 130–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, C. (2010). Chinese confucianism and daoism. In C. Taliaferro, P. Draper, & P. L. Quinn (Eds.), A companion to philosophy of religion (pp. 23–33). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hargrove, E. (2003). Weak anthropocentric intrinsic value. In A. Light & H. Rolston III (Eds.), Environmental ethics: An antholog (pp. 175–190). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, A. J., & Sandelands, L. E. (2005). Getting right with nature: Anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, and theocentrism. Organization & Environment, 18(2), 141–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ives, C. (2013). Resources for buddhist environmental ethics. Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 20, 541–571.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jusoff, K., & Samah, S. A. A. (2011). Environmental sustainability: What Islam propagates. World Applied Sciences Journal, 12, 46–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalupahana, D. J. (1976). Buddhist philosophy: A historical analysis. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keown, D. (2001). The nature of buddhist ethics. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keown, D. (2007). Buddhism and ecology: A virtue ethics approach. Contemporary Buddhism, 8(2), 97–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Küng, H. (2004). Global responsibility: In search of a new world ethic. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Duc, A. (2015). Buddhist soteriological aims and their contribution to environmental well-being. In R. Meinhold (Ed.), Environmental values emerging from cultures and religions of the ASEAN region (pp. 31–53). Bangkok: P. Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McShane, K. (2007). Anthropocentrism vs. nonanthropocentrism: Why should we care? Environmental Values, 16, 169–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meinhold, R. (2011). Overconsumption. In Encyclopedia of environmental issues, revised edition, 1186. Pasadena: Salem Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minteer, B. A. (2008). Anthropocentrism. In J. B. Callicott & R. Frodeman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of environmental ethics and philosophy (pp. 58–62). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadeau, R. L. (2014). Asian religions: A cultural perspective. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nasr, S. H. (1992). Islam and the environmental crisis. In S. C. Rockefeller & J. C. Elder (Eds.), Spirit and nature: Why the environment is a religious issue (pp. 86–108). Boston: Beacon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nasr, S. H. (2007). Religion and the environmental crisis. In W. C. Chittick (Ed.), The essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr (pp. 39–42). Bloomington: World Wisdom Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, B. G. (1984). Environmental ethics and weak anthropocentrism. Environmental Ethics, 6(2), 131–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thera, N. (2008). The roots of good and evil: Buddhist texts translated from the Pāḷi. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogbonnaya, J. (2014). African catholicism and hermeneutics of culture: Essays in the light of African Synod II. Eugene: Or: Wipf and Stock.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, M., & Finlay, V. (2003). Faith in conservation: New approaches to religion and the environment. World Bank: Washington D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. (2016a). The global religious landscape. Accessed 24 February 2016. http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/

  • Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. (2016b). Demographic study: Asia-Pacific. Accessed 25 February 2016. http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/asia-pacific/

  • Pope Francis. (2014, January 1). World day of peace message. Accessed 26 February 2016. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/peace/documents/papa-francesco_20131208_messaggio-xlvii-giornata-mondiale-pace-2014.html

  • Pope Francis. (2015, March 3). Laudato Si. Accessed https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si_en.pdf

  • Pope John Paul II. Evangeliuum vitae. Accessed 26 March (2016). http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae.pdf

  • Pope John Paul II. (1990). World day of peace message. Accessed 25 March 2016, https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/peace/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_19891208_xxiii-world-day-for-peace.pdf

  • Sahni, P. (2007). Environmental ethics in buddhism: A virtues approach. Routledge: Taylor & Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, J. (2015). Introduction. In J. Sawyer & D. Jin (Eds.), Ecological civilization. Beijing: Pulitzer Center. Kindle edition.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaefer, J. (2005). Valuing earth intrinsically and instrumentally: A Theological framework for environmental ethics. Theological Studies, 66(4), 783–814.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Servaes, J. (Ed.). (2014). Technological determinism and social change. Lanham: Lexington Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, H. (2009). The world’s religions (p. 2009). New York: Publishers Group UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stackhouse, M. L. (2007). God and globalization: Volume 4 (globalization and grace). New York: Continuum Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Streng, F. J. (1984). Understanding religious life. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Pub Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R. L. (1990). The religious dimensions of confucianism. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, M. E., & Grim, J. (1997). Series foreword. In M. E. Tucker & D. R. Williams (Eds.), Buddhism and ecology (pp. xv–xxxiii). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tucker, M. E., & Berthrong, J. (1998). “Introduction.” In M. E. Tucker & J. Berthrong (Eds.), Confucianism and ecology (pp. xxxv–xlv). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warner, K. (2001). Franciscan environmental ethic: Imaging creation as a community of care. Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, 31(1), 143–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiming, T. (1998). Beyond the enlightenment mentality. In M. E. Tucker & J. Berthrong (Eds.), Confucianism and ecology (pp. 3–22). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Wensveen, L. (2000). Christian ecological virtue ethics. In D. T. Hessel & R. R. Ruether (Eds.), Christianity and ecology (pp. 155–167). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • White Jr, L. (1967). The historical roots of our ecologic crisis. Science, 155(3767), 1203–1207.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Asian Research Center for the Study of Religion and Social Communication, Bangkok, 10120, Thailand

    Anthony Le Duc

Authors
  1. Anthony Le Duc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anthony Le Duc .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bangkok, Thailand

    Jan Servaes

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Le Duc, A. (2017). Religious Environmentalism and Environmental Sustainability in Asia. In: Servaes, J. (eds) Sustainable Development Goals in the Asian Context. Communication, Culture and Change in Asia, vol 2. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2815-1_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation