Religion has famously motivated many cooperative achievements in world history – from building pyramids and cathedrals to binding together empires. Can religion help us solve even bigger problems facing the world today? All the big religions provide scriptural support for stewardship of the environment. Researchers at the CSSC are seeking to harness the cohesive power of religion to tackle global environmental problems, such as the current climate crisis.
Making a difference
The world’s population is overwhelmingly religious (7 billion believers compared with only 500 million atheists). Can these convictions and group alignments be harnessed to tackle global warming? Many already think so – from the movement to establish ‘Veganadan’ (as a radical alternative to Ramadan!) to this year’s celebration of 550 years of Sikhism by planting a million trees around the world. Drawing on such initiatives, CSSC researchers are developing a research-driven toolkit for channeling religious bonds and beliefs into action on climate change.
CSSC director addresses the World Economic Forum at Davos on the challenges of harnessing cohesion to address climate change
CSSC director talks with Morgan Freeman about the role of ritual in the evolution of complex societies
Religion as social glue: CSSC director describes the role of ritual in building group cohesion
CSSC director discusses the unique methods of his research team at the Laboratory for Experimental Research on Religion in Masaryk
CSSC researchers ask what indigenous religions in Vanuatu can teach us about caring for the environment
CSSC director explains why he thinks simplistic arguments about religion's value and function in society are mistaken
